Expanded Canal marks 1,000th transit

THE CONTAINER ship  MSC Anzu, from the Mediterranean Shipping Company on Sunday March 19, became   the thousandth   vessel to transit the  expanded canal.

The ship,  built in 2015, measures 299.98 meters Long, 48.23 meters wide, and has a carrying capacity of 9,008 TEU (container  unit 20 feet long).

“This transit is a new sign of success, marking the remarkable impact of the expanded Canal in the industry,” Said waterway administrator, Jorge Luis Quijano.

By March 2017, the average number of neopanamax ships transiting the new lane per day is 5.9, says the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).

The container ship segment represents more than half of the transits through the expanded Canal, which began operating in June last year.

Another notable segment has been liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels. On average 5.2 LNG vessels have transited the Panama Canal each week, above the initial expectations of one a week.

The MSC Anzu container ship is part of the route between Europe, the United States and the west coast of South America, in a consolidated service last year to take advantage of the benefits of the expanded channel.