As part of her deployment in the Pacific Ocean, the Germinal crossed the Panama Canal on April 4, 2023.
After recovering its port pilot, the Germinal began its transit in the middle of the afternoon in the middle of mastodons 300 meters long before entering the first locks of the canal, allowing it to rise to more than 25 m above sea level. His journey, punctuated by the comings and goings of pilots and mooring crews, continued for 9 hours across the shores of Lake Gatún to end at a last lock where, towed by small shunting locomotives, the Germinal was finally able to reach the blue waters of the Pacific.
This navigation sequence, unusual for a French Navy ship, will remain etched forever in the memories of the sailors of Germinal .
After this short break, the crew resumed their operational patrol off Colombia and Ecuador, contributing to regional security and affirming that France is a sovereign nation in the Pacific.