Lycaste Peace Kicks Off Commercial Transits through Panama Canal

The Lycaste Peace, a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier operated by Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), became the first vessel to pass through the Expanded Panama Canal as the waterway marked its first day in commercial operation on June 27.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) held an inauguration ceremony for the expanded canal on June 26. The maximum dimensions of Neopanamax ships transiting the canal have been expanded to 366 meters in overall length, 49 meters in beam and 15.2 meters in draft.

The vessel was built at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ (MHI) Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works and delivered in February 2003. With its gross tonnage of 46,021 tons, the Lycaste Peace features a length of 230 meters and a width of 36.6 meters.

Chartered by Astomos Energy Corporation, the Lycaste Peace is en route to Japan carrying LPG loaded on the US coast of the Gulf of Mexico, according to MHI.

The Lycaste Peace was soon followed by another LPG carrier, the Passat. Built in 2015, the 53,800 dwt Passat is 226 meters long and 37 meters wide.