History was made yesterday at the Panama Canal when the container ship COSCO Shipping Panama transited the newly expanded canal. The ship carried over 9,000 TEU and has a beam of 158′ and is 984′ long, longer and significantly wider than was possible in the old canal.
The new $5.4 billion canal expansion features two new sets channels and locks, one set each on the Atlantic and Pacific sides. It has also widened and deepened existing channels and has raised the maximum operating water level of Gatun Lake. Whereas the largest ship that could previously transit the locks could be no longer than 965′, wider than 106′, or have a draft greater than 41.2′, the new maximum dimensions are a length of 1,200′, a beam of 160.7′ and a draft of 49.9′. Previously the largest container ships that could transit the canal where roughly 5,000 TEU, now container ships of up to 14,000 TEU will be able to pass. Overall, the new expansion is expected to double the transit capacity of the canal.
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