Port Canaveral welcomes first post-Panamax vehicle carrier

The roll-on/roll-off vessel Brooklands, which is operated by Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), is the largest post-Panamax vessel to call the Floridian seaport.    The latest class of post-Panamax shipping vessels made an inaugural visit to Port Canaveral recently with the arrival of the roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) vessel Brooklands becoming the first of its kind to call there, the Florida seaport revealed Tuesday.
   Brooklands, which is operated by Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), has a 125-foot beam and a capacity to transport over 7,400 vehicles. It is the largest post-Panamax vessel to call Port Canaveral, located in Brevard County, Fla. The ship arrived at Port Canaveral, its first U.S. port of call, following transit through the Panama Canal’s expanded locks.
   The transit into dock was made easier by a recently completed six-month deepening project of Port Canaveral’s West Turning Basin, which provides deeper draft vessel access equal to the authorized port channel depth of 44 feet, the port said.
   “The arrival of MOL’s Brooklands here marks a new chapter for our cargo operations,” Port CEO Capt. John Murray explained. “Large capacity vessels choosing Port Canaveral underscores the role this port plays in driving economic opportunities for the Central Florida region.
   “The megaship era in global shipping has arrived at Port Canaveral,” Murray declared.
   Brooklands, which was built in 2017, is 199.96 meters (656 feet) in length with a beam of 38 meters (125 feet) wide.
   The massive car carrier, with a 72,700 GWT, discharged 315 new vehicles from Mexico at Port Canaveral’s AutoPort Canaveral facility before departing to Jacksonville, Fla.