Expanded canal's anniversary

June 26 marks the first anniversary of the inauguration of the Expanded Panama Canal. In its first year of operation, more than 1,500 Neo-Panamax vessels transited through the locks. Container ships represent some 47 percent of traffic followed by LPG carriers, which represent about 34 percent. Last July saw the first LNG vessel transit the new locks - the Shell-chartered Maran Gas Apollonia. The vessel arrived from the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal on the Gulf Coast. The expanded canal can accommodate 90 percent of the world’s LNG tankers. (Source: The Maritime Executive 06/25/17)