Qatar-based shipping company Nakilat has conducted compatibility studies as part of its plans to send Q-Flex class LNG carriers through the Expanded Panama Canal.
The company informed that thorough assessments were also undertaken in order to secure a safe transit for these carriers through the new locks in the near future.
Since the New Panama Canal has been in operation, Nakilat’s LPG vessels have transited through the canal 16 times while the company’s joint-venture conventional LNG vessels have completed 38 transits.
“The flexibility of going through the New Panama Canal not only enables Nakilat to widen its international outreach and cement its position as a global leader of energy transportation, but also allows us to exceed customer satisfaction.”
Panama Canal’s expansion in 2016 allowed for bigger vessels, such as LNG carriers, to transit through the canal locks as they make their journey from East to West and vice versa. Passage through the canal allow vessels to shorten their voyage by about 13,000 km or 7,000 nautical miles, leading to shorter delivery times as well as operational cost savings.