CMA CGM’s Zephyr containership has become the vessel with the largest cargo capacity to ever sail through the Panama Canal.
The 16,285 TEU containership completed its return trip through the Expanded Canal’s Neopanamax Locks on July 1, after calling at the U.S. ports of New York and Savannah.
The Zephyr sailed back southbound through the canal, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, en route to Qingdao, China.
There’s no better way to mark the anniversary of the Expanded Canal than with this month’s Zephyr transit, which exemplifies the continued growth potential that it offers for our clients
said Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez Morales.
However, while the Zephyr is the largest by cargo capacity to transit the waterway, Evergreen’s Triton, with 51.2 meters in beam and 369 meters in length, holds the record for the largest vessel by dimension.
The canal was expanded with a third lane back in 2016, and the Neopanamax Locks were initially expected to serve vessels with a maximum of 12,600 TEUs. Nevertheless, the threshold has been surpassed considerably as experience in operating the locks grew.
Furthermore, implementation of various water conservations efforts, along with increased rainfall in the canal watershed, has allowed the Panama Canal to offer a 15.24 meters draft (50 feet) since May, the highest permitted for vessels transiting the Neopanamax Locks.