Panama Canal marks 2,000th Neopanamax vessel transit

The 2,000th transit is another step forward for the recently expanded Central American gateway, which has served more and more vessels since its opening in June 2016.    The COSCO Yantian containership on Sept. 26 became the 2,000th Neopanamax vessel through the Panama Canal, after traveling through the expanded canal northbound from the Pacific to Atlantic oceans.
   According to ocean carrier schedule database BlueWater Reporting, the COSCO Yantian is deployed on the Pacific East Coast 2 (PEX2) service, which operates between Asia and the Caribbean via the Panama Canal. The 11-year-old vessel measures 351 meters in length and 43 meters in beam, with a TEU capacity of 9,504 units.
   The 2,000th transit marks another step forward for the Canal expansion, which has increasingly served more and more vessel since its opening in June 2016, including containerships, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carries—a new segment for the waterway.
   The Canal has set new standards for monthly transits and vessel sizes since the expansion debuted in mid-2016.
   “Over the last 15 months, the Expanded Canal has repeatedly exceeded expectations,” Panama Canal Administrator, Jorge L. Quijano said, calling the transit “yet another reminder of the industry’s rapid adoption of the route.”
   The container segment accounts for more than half of the transits through the Expanded Canal — 54 percent, according to statistics — while LPG and LNG vessels represent 29.2 and 8.6 percent, respectively. Bulk carriers, tankers, car carriers and cruise ships have also transited the expanded canal, data show.