News

The expansion of the Panama Canal is resulting in a new series of milestones for the Canal, which provides a driver for Panama’s economy.

A few days ago, the Cosco Development became the largest ship to ever go through the Canal. The container ship is 366 meters long, which is described as the height of the Eiffel Tower or eight Statues of Liberty. The ship, which en-route from Asia to the East Coast, can handle up to 13,435 containers.

Since opening last June, the expanded Canal has handled more than 1,200 “Neopanamex” ships—the mega-sized commercial ships—at an average of 5.9 vessels a day, the Maritime Executive reports. The expansion was originally estimated to handle two or three of the big ships a day, the publication reports.

Meanwhile, the expanded Canal also handled its first cruise ship, the 83,000-ton Disney Wonder. The ship, which can handle more than 1,700 passengers, was on an itinerary from Florida to San Diego.

While cruise ships going through the Canal are nothing new, the expanded Canal can accommodate the new generation of massive cruise ships, USA Today reports. The new Canal is “proving a boon for the cruise industry,” according to the paper. “Though the smaller locks at the canal are large enough for many of the world’s cruise ships, they can’t handle a rapidly growing number of mega-vessels from such lines as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival.”

The cruise line paid $400,000 to make the trek through the Canal, according to news reports. Cruise companies have booked 18 transits in the new locks, according to the Panama Maritime Authority.

Video from the Disney blog: