The container ship Triton, of the shipping Evergreen, became this Wednesday the largest and largest capacity ship to transit the Canal expanded since its opening on June 26, 2016.

Neopanamax help port growth
Huge LNG vessel, in the bowels of the Canal
The neopanamax Triton set a new record with a capacity of 15,331 TEU (20 foot long containers) in the Panama Canal. The ship measures 51.2 meters of beam (width) and 369 meters of length (long), and transited in a north direction from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.

“We are enthusiastic about the opportunities offered by the Triton transit test,” said Panama Canal Administrator Jorge Luis Quijano , according to a press release from the Panama Canal Authority.

“Our team continues to offer additional capacity and fulfill the promise of providing a safe and efficient service to our customers. Today’s traffic exceeded the 15,000 TEU mark, setting a record in terms of maximum container capacity for the Panama Canal, “he said.

Like the transit of the Q-Flex ship last Sunday, the achievement of this Wednesday was possible thanks to the increase in the maximum beam allowed for ships that use the neopanamax locks.

The note notes that as of June 2018, the Canal increased the 49 meter beam to 51.25 meters due to the training and experience acquired by the team during the operation of the neopanamax locks in almost three years. This expertise, coupled with close collaboration with the client, also contributed to the interoceanic route could receive the transit on Wednesday, despite the ship exceeds the maximum length of 366 meters of the neopanamax locks.

“The milestone marks a new era for container ships in the expanded Canal. We hope to continue collaborating on similar opportunities in the future, since the line services of container ships continue to redirect and consolidate the cargo in larger vessels, “said the specialist in International Trade of the Panama Canal, Argelis Moreno de Ducreux.

The Triton is located within the Evergreen Far East – East Coast of the United States (AUE) service, as part of the OCEAN Alliance network, which connects the ports of Asia and the east coast of the United States through the Panama Canal. . The AUE service consists of 11 vessels that vary in size, from 8,000 to 14,000 TEU. The Alliance includes China Cosco Shipping, Orient Overseas Container Lines (OOCL), CMA CGM Group and Evergreen, which are among the largest customers by volume of the Panama Canal.

The record for the longest container ship to transit the Canal by capacity was established on August 22, 2017 , by CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt, which measures 365.96 meters in length and 48.252 meters of beam and a total of TEU allowed in the Canal of Panama of 14,863.

Of the 6,000 Neopanamax vessels that have transited to date, close to 50% have been in the container ship segment.