Panama Canal Hosts Its Biggest Containership to-Date
WMN..The containership Triton has completed a trial transit in the Panama Canal, marking a new record in size and container cargo capacity at the expanded waterway.
The Neopanamax, which has a total TEU allowance (TTA) of 15,313, a 20-row beam of 51.2 meters and a length of 369 meters, transitednorthbound from the Pacific to the Atlantic on May 15.
The vessel is deployed in Evergreen’s Panama Canal-routed Far East – United States East Coast service, as part of the OCEAN Alliance network.
“We are excited about the opportunities enabled by the Triton’s trial transit,” Jorge L. Quijano, Panama Canal Administrator, said.
“Today’s transit surpassed the 15,000 TEU vessel threshold, establishing a new record in terms of total TEU capacity.”
Similar to the milestone Q-Flex transit completed on May 12, the latest achievement was made possible by an increase to the maximum allowable beam for vessels transiting the Neopanamax locks.
Beginning in June 2018, the Canal increased the allowable beam from 49 meters to 51.25 meters. The waterway accommodated the milestone transit despite the vessel exceeding the established maximum vessel length of 366 meters.
“Today’s milestone marks a new era for containerships at the Expanded Canal,” Argelis Moreno de Ducreux, the Panama Canal’s Senior International Trade Specialist, said.
“We look forward to collaborating on similar opportunities in the future as liners continue to reroute services and consolidate cargo on larger vessels.”
Of the 6,000 Neopanamax vessels that have transited the canal to date, nearly 50 percent have been from the container segment, reports World Maritime News.
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