THE Panama Canal has transited, its 1,000th neopanamax, the 9,008-TEU MSC Anzu from the Atlantic to the Pacific less than nine months after the newly expanded waterway opened last year.
Built in 2015, the Panama-flagged containership measures 299.98 metres in length and 48.23 metre abeam. During its transit, it called at Panamanian port terminals on the Pacific and Atlantic to discharge and load cargo on the way to its final destinations.
The containership is part of the SAWC-USA-NWC service between Europe, the US and the South American west coast.
In February, the canal set a new daily tonnage record of 1.18 million Panama Canal tons (PC/UMS) after transiting 1,180 vessels breaking January's record of 35.4 million PC/UMS and December's 36.1 million PC/UMS.
US east coast ports, have expanded or deepened or widened channels to accommodate the influx of neopanamax vessel traffic due to the expansion, said the Panama Canal Authority press release, adding that Charleston, Philadelphia and Savannah, had posted record box volume growth this year.
"This is merely the first step in bolstering the capabilities of the waterway and the logistics offerings in the country, for our customers and the people of Panama," said canal administrator Jorge Quijano.