The Panama Canal has increased the maximum allowable length for vessels transiting its neo-panamax locks.
The waterway's authority revealed that since 21 May, ships of up to 370.33 metres have been permitted to pass through, up from 367.28 metres previously.
The change was made in time for the fifth anniversary of the waterway's June 2016 expansion with the new locks, and it means 96.8% of the world's boxship fleet can now transit the canal.
The Panama Canal Authority said this will shorten routes and benefit economies around the world.
"This change was made possible by our team's experience operating the neo-panamax locks safely and reliably over the past five years,” said Panama Canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez Morales.
The extended length will provide shipping lines with greater flexibility in making decisions for the deployment and construction of vessels with greater capacity that can transit through the Panama Canal, he believes.
The announcement came after a series of trial voyages to confirm the safety of operations.
Trial trips
They included the 2019 passage of Evergreen's 369-metre, 14,424-teu Triton (built 2016), which became the largest vessel in dimension and container cargo capacity to transit.
Since then, other ships of a similar size have successfully completed the trip.
The authority has also announced it is now offering 15.24 metres of draught, the highest level allowed.
Increased rainfall and successful water management at the Gatun Lake had kept the draught at 14.93 metres since April 2021.
"Given the shorter travelling distance and larger capacity it offers, the canal reduces vessels’ fuel consumption and therefore emissions," the authority said.
