Tag: Neopanamax vessels

In a bid to embrace the additional capacity enabled by the new larger locks, the Panama Canal has added an additional reserve space for Neopanamax vessels, bringing the total number of available spaces per day from seven to eight.

The Panama Canal Authority announced the increase of the maximum allowable beam for commercial and non-commercial vessels passing through the Neopanamax Locks. Starting from 27 April 2018, the maximum authorized draft is 14.63m (48.0 feet) Tropical Fresh Water, based on levels of Gatun Lake.

The International Transport Worker’s Federation is against the actions of the Panama Canal Authority, which issued sanctions against Tugboat Captains who refused to assist the transit of vessels through the neopanamax locks. The union representatives of the captains claim safety issues over their refusal, adding that the sanction is part of a tug privitization plan in the Canal. The union representatives of the captains claim safety issues over their refusal, adding that the sanction is part of a tug privitization plan in the Canal.

Panama Canal Administration said the decision came after the tugboat captains refused to assist the transit of vessels through the neopanamax locks, which impacted the regular maritime traffic. On the other hand, the union representatives of the captains claim safety issues over their refusal.

The Panama Canal announced the transit of its 3,000th Neopanamax vessel, surpassing the initial traffic expectations. The Panamanian flagged containership MSC Caterina completed the milestone transit this morning traveling northbound from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.

Starting from December 1st, the Panama Canal has increased the number of daily booking slots available for Neopanamax vessels from six to seven, in a bid to embrace the additional capacity allowed for by the new, larger locks. The seven daily booking slots are offered in addition to the 23 slots available each day for transit through the Panamax locks.

In January 2017, the Panama Canal set a new monthly tonnage record of 36.1 million Panama Canal tons (PC/UMS), with the transit of 1,260 ships through both the Expanded and original locks.

The Motor Vessel Hoegh Target was successfully piloted into Port Freeport on the evening of September 14. Port Freeport celebrated the first Neo-Panamax vessel to call the port.