The Panama Canal, a problem that has occupied humanity for centuries, is nearing its completion. According to the latest calculations, the first ship is expected to pass through the canal in 1915. With a strong sense of purpose, work is now underway on the Panama project, as the entire management, supervision, and control of the canal works have been transferred to American hands. This follows lengthy parliamentary battles in which the competing project, namely the crossing of Central America via the Nicaragua route, was ultimately abandoned for financial, political, and technical reasons. The jurist Waldemar Beck explains the international legal aspects of shipping in the Panama Canal in this volume. He examines canal shipping in general and the specific conditions of the Panama Canal in particular.