The honour of being the landmark first vessel to transit the expanded Panama Canal in late June will fall to Linden Pride, a Neopanamax liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker owned by Japan’s NYK line, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced on Tuesday.
, a Neopanamax liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker owned by Japan’s NYK line, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced on Tuesday.The 230-metre long vessel is scheduled to make its historic crossing of the trans-oceanic waterway on June 27, the day after the inauguration of the $5.3bn expansion project, which will allow the Canal to carry cargo vessels with three times the current capacity.
In the initial period after the expanded Canal’s new third locks are operational – up until September 30 this year – there will be a maximum of four booking slots per day, no more than two in each direction.
In recent weeks the ACP has been instituting draft restrictions for vessels using the canal because of El Nino-related low water levels in the Gatun Lake.
