Get ready for what will become a common acronym: Neopanamax. That’s the maximum size ship that will be able to transit the expanded Panama Canal.
How big is a Neopanamax ship? Up to 366 m (1,200 ft) long, and/or beam up to 49 m (160 ft) and/or draft up to 15.24 m (50 ft).
Getting one of these huge ships through the canal will involve somewhat different procedures than used in current transits.
The Panama Canal Authority has produced a video showing in detail how the new Neopanamax locks will operate within the Expanded Panama Canal once inaugurated on Sunday, June 26. Using a combination of video clips and animation, it visually illustrates a virtual tour of a Neopanamax vessel’s transit through the Expanded Canal.
The 11-minute video, titled “A New Experience – Transits Through the Expanded Panama Canal,” is embedded above.