Panama Canal hits monthly tonnage record

Panama Canal reached another milestone since the expansion, reaching a new monthly tonnage record of 38.1 million tons after facilitating the transit of 1,231 vessels in May 2018.

The previous record was established in January 2017, when 1,260 vessels transited 36.1 million tons through the waterway, just a month after setting the record with 35.4 million tons transited by 1,166 vessels in December 2016, the company said in a statement.

The containership segment contributed the highest tonnage (36 percent), breaking its segment record with 13.8 million tons transited by 229 vessels.

Thanks to the increased cargo capacity offered by the Neopanamax locks inaugurated almost two years ago, the Expanded Canal has received around 3,800 Neopanamax vessels, around 50 percent of which are containerships.

The waterway has also welcomed liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels, as well as bulk carriers, tankers, cruisers and vehicle carriers.

In April last year, the Panama Canal facilitated the transit of three LNG vessels, the Clean Ocean, Gaslog Gibraltar and Gaslog Hong Kong, in one day.