Who controls the Panama Canal?

I’m sitting here watching this show on the Discovery Channel about the Panama Canal when they made a questionable statement. They said that the Panama Canal is the only place on earth where a Captain has to surrender the command of his ship in order to get through. The operators are the only people authorized to pilot a vessel through the canals locks. Does this law also apply to military vessels. I can remember once watching another show caled “Fly Navy” where they actually steered an Aircraft Carrier through there. I can’t imagine any Admiral of any nation surrendering the command of his vessel for any reason. Anyone here know anything more about this?

Not sure about the question in your OP (I guess they need the pilot to surrender to people more skilled at taking the vessel through) but in answer to the title, I believe it was recently handed over to the control/ownership of Panama from USA.

The Giant, Extraterrestrial Love Crickets.

'Nuff said.

Seamen will have to massage this if it’s wrong, but I believe that any time a certified pilot is aboard a ship, US Navy notwithstanding, for the purpose of bringing the ship into a harbor where such piloting is needed, the pilot is in full command of the operation. The ship’s captain can only stand aside and watch. So I don’t think having the canal pilots commaning ships through the canal is at all unusual.

There has to be one commander. If a pilot is needed it would be the height of foolishness to allow his orders in operating the vessel to be overturned by even an Admiral who is unfamiliar with the particular waters being navigated.

Canal regulations. The regs are in PDF format.

Otto has it right. In other places, the pilot basically only advises the ship’s master. In the Panama Canal, the pilot takes temporary command.

Here (bottom of second column):

The surrender of command on a military vessel would presumably only apply to navigation. The pilot can’t order the ship to open fire on another, for example.

Here’s some more, based on Navy regulations:

Bolding mine