Less than a month after the previous record was set, the Panama Canal welcomed the Neopanamax container vessel OOCL France, making it the largest capacity vessel to transit the Expanded Canal since it was inaugurated in June 2016.
The OOCL France containership-which measures 366.47 meters in length and 48.23 meters in beam with 13,926 total TEU allowance (TTA)-transited northbound from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.
"This trend towards the transit of 13,000 TEU or greater vessels demonstrates the acceptance and trust that the shipping industry has with the service provided by the Expanded Canal," Panama Canal Administrator Jorge L. Quijano said.
The previous record was set on May 2 by the COSCO Development containership, which measures 366.45 meters in length and 48.26 meters in beam and has a 13,345 TTA.
The OOCL France is deployed on the new OCEAN Alliance's weekly South Atlantic Express (SAX) service, connecting Asia-U.S. East Coast ports via the Panama Canal. The SAX service is comprised of 11 vessels ranging in size from 11,000 to 13,000 TEUs. OOCL France is the second vessel in this service to transit through the Expanded Canal after the COSCO Development earlier this month.
About the Panama Canal Authority
The Panama Canal is run by an autonomous agency of the Government of Panama in charge of managing, operating and maintaining the Panama Canal. The operation of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is based on its organic law and the regulations approved by its Board of Directors.