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OOCL France becomes largest containership to transit the Panama CanalOOCL France becomes largest containership to transit the Panama Canal

The 13,926 teu OOCL France has become the largest capacity vessel to transit the expanded Panama Canal to date.

Marcus Hand, Editor

May 25, 2017

1 Min Read
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The neo-panamax boxship the OOCL France transited the canal from the Atlantic to Pacific basin on Wednesday 24 May.

The expanded Panama Canal was inaugurated last June with the capacity to handle container vessels of up to 14,000 teu compared to just 5,000 teu previously. However, it was not until recently that container lines started to deploy the largest possible containerships for the expanded canal on services via the waterway.

Prior to the OOCL France the largest containership to transit the Panama Canal was the 13,345 teu Cosco Development, which transited on 2 May. Both vessels are deployed on the Ocean Alliance’s weekly South Atlantic Express service.

"This trend towards the transit of 13,000 teu or greater vessels demonstrates the acceptance and trust that the shipping industry has with the service provided by the Expanded Canal," said Panama Canal administrator Jorge L. Quijano said.

So far 1,360 neo-panamax vessels have transited the canal, with containerships making up 43.8% of that number.

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About the Author

Marcus Hand

Editor

Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia.

Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation.

In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology.

Marcus is the founder of the Seatrade Maritime Podcast that delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics.

Conferences & Webinars

Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

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