A SwissMarine large Neopanamax-class dry bulk carrier is to transit the expanded Panama Canal in order to “test” it before the inaugural opening of the new locks on June 26.
The dry bulk carrier, MN Baroque, is 255 metres long and 43 metres wide and can carry twice as much cargo as older Panamax freighters not in the Neopanamax class.
According to Giuseppe Quarta, head of the Grupos Unidos por el Canal (GUPC), so far the tests are going very well.
Neopanamax-class ships have been designed to be wider and longer for the new locks to increase carrying capacity and encourage transport through the canal.
The nine-year expansion project, which has been plague by delays and expenses amounting to billions of dollars, will open officially this month and is to be led by Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela and with 70 heads of state and government invited to attend.
During the ceremony a Chinese-owned freighter, the Andronikos, will be the first to “officially” transit through the expanded Canal.
Ship Efficiency Review News
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