MSC MARIE: largest neo-panamax to transit through the Panama Canal
Source
American Shipper
Post Date
09/13/2024
On 30 August, the 16,616 teu container ship MSC MARIE transited through the Panama Canal, becoming the largest capacity neopanamax to cross the interoceanic route.
MSC MARIE has a length of 366 m and a width of 51 m (20 rows) and indeed belongs to a series of nine sister vessels which have the highest nominal capacity of all neo-panamax ships in service.
According to the Panama Canal Authority (PCA), the transit of the MSC vessel surpasses the previous records held by Evergreen? 15,372 teu EVER MAX and the 15,536 teu CMA CGM ZEPHYR.
The MSC MARIE is deployed in MSC? standalone Far East ?Central America ?East Coast of South America ?antana Service?
For the previous record passage by the EVER MAX in August 2023, this vessel had to disge 1,400 teu in Balboa due to a 44 feet draft restriction (13.4 m) after a period of exceptional drought, the worst since 1950.
The boxes were subsequently transported by rail to the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal to be loaded aboard again.
Strong rains will allow the Panama Canal to accommodate 36 transits a day with maximum drafts of up to 50 feet (for the new locks) again from this month, but Panama? government is now working on a project to ensure greater water security during future periods of prolonged droughts.
The Panama Canal locks dep for their operations on freshwater from the Gatun Lake. With the help of the U.S. Army Corps Engineering the canal authority is preparing plans to dam the Indio River to have a new water reservoir.
