BWR: Average vessel size for major shipping passages

BlueWater Reporting illustrated how the average size of vessels transiting the Panama Canal has increased 11.3 percent since June 2016.    Data from BlueWater Reporting’s Capacity Report illustrates the average size for containerships transiting through the Suez Canal and Panama Canal, as well as around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa for each month in 2016.
   During the year, average vessel size through the Suez Canal ranged from between 9,785 TEUs and 10,650 TEUs. For the month of March, the waterway saw a dip in average vessel capacity to its lowest for the year, while vessel capacity rebounded to its highest in August. 
   Average vessel capacity during the year through the Cape of Good Hope ranged from between 5,137 TEUs and 6,167 TEUs, consistently remaining at over 6,000 TEUs starting in July.
   The Panama Canal saw vessels steadily increase in size beginning in July, following the June 2016 opening of the waterway’s new locks, which can handle vessels with up to 14,000 TEUs, nearly three times the previous limit. The Panama Canal rounded out the end of the year with vessels averaging 5,478 TEUs, an 11.3 percent increase since June.