Spotted: First 10,500 TEU Vessel Transits Panama Canal

In today’s spotted we bring you Valparaiso Express, the first 10,500 TEU ship to transit the Expanded Panama Canal. 

Owned by German shipping major Hapag-Lloyd, the vessel began its transit at the Pacific-facing Cocoli Locks on December 20, following calls at ports in Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

“Today’s passage ushers in a new era of mega-ships that are now able to transit the Expanded Canal since its inauguration on June 26 of this year. The new locks, which are 70 feet wider and 18 feet deeper than those in the original canal, are able to accommodate Neopanamax vessels carrying up to 13,000 to 14,000 TEUs,” the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said.

After completing its transit through the Atlantic-facing Agua Clara Locks, Valparaiso Express will stop at Manzanillo International Terminal in Panama and will continue its route to terminals in the Dominican Republic, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands, according to the ACP.

Named at the Terminal Pacifico Sur (TPS) in the port of Valparaíso, Chile, earlier this month, Valparaiso Express is the first of five newbuildings in the company’s new 10,500 TEU class. The remaining four ships are expected to be completed in April 2017 and all of them will be able to transit the expanded waterway, the ACP said.

The 118,945 gross ton boxship was built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries.

The ship will sail in the revised Europe – South America West Coast service of Hapag-Lloyd.