Panama Canal said it has reached a new milestone with the completion of four LNG carrier transits with beams of up to 49 meters in a single day through the Neopanamax Locks.
With this milestone, the Panama Canal broke its record set on April 17, when three LNG vessels transited through the waterway on the same day.
On Monday, October 1, Ribera del Duero Knutsen with a cargo capacity of 173,000 cubic meters and Maran Gas Pericles with a cargo capacity of 174,000 cubic meters transited northbound. Torben Spirit with a cargo capacity of 174,000 cubic meters and Oceanic Breeze with a cargo capacity of 155,300 cubic meters transited southbound.
The vessels facilitated international trade between customers in South Korea, Japan, Chile and the US Gulf Coast.
The Panama Canal introduced changes to its transit reservation system to offer two slots per day to LNG vessels. These modifications have allowed the optimization of the Expanded Canal’s capacity, in order to meet specific demands such as the transit of four LNG vessels.
The modifications unveiled in August 2018 and coming into effect on October 1, also allow lifting certain daylight restrictions for LNG vessels, as well as meetings between LNG vessels in opposite directions in Gatun Lake.