Panamax
Encyclopedia
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) titled "Vessel Requirements". These requirements also describe topics like exceptional dry seasonal limits, propulsion, communications and detailed ships design.
The allowable size is limited by the width and length of the available lock chambers, by the depth of the water in the canal and by the height of the Bridge of the Americas
Bridge of the Americas
The Bridge of the Americas is a road bridge in Panama, which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Completed in 1962, at a cost of US$20 million, it was the only non-swinging bridge connecting the north and south American land masses until the opening of the Centennial Bridge in 2004...
. Consequently, ships that do not fall within the Panamax-sizes are called Post Panamax. The limits have influenced those constructing cargo ships, giving clear parameters for ships destined to traverse the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
.
"Panamax" has been in effect since the opening of the canal in 1914. In 2009 the Canal management published the "New Panamax", that will be in effect when the third lane of locks, larger than the current two, are operational from 2014.
The increasing prevalence of vessels of the maximum size is a problem for the canal as a Panamax ship is a tight fit that requires precise control of the vessel in the locks, possibly resulting in longer lock time, and requiring that these ships transit in daylight. Because the largest ships traveling in opposite directions cannot pass safely within the Gaillard Cut
Gaillard Cut
The Gaillard Cut, or Culebra Cut, is an artificial valley that cuts through the continental divide in Panama. The cut forms part of the Panama Canal, linking Lake Gatún, and thereby the Atlantic Ocean, to the Gulf of Panama and hence the Pacific Ocean...
, the canal effectively operates an alternating one-way system for these ships.
Panamax dimensions
Panamax is determined principally by the dimensions of the canal's lock chambersPanama Canal Locks
The Panama Canal Locks, which lift ships up 25.9 m to the main elevation of the Panama Canal, were one of the greatest engineering works ever to be undertaken at the time, eclipsed only by other parts of the canal project. No other concrete construction of comparable size was undertaken...
, each of which is 110 ft wide by 1050 ft (320.04 m) long, and 85 ft (25.91 m) deep. The usable length of each lock chamber is 1000 ft (304.8 m). The available water depth in the lock chambers varies, but the shallowest depth is at the south sill of the Pedro Miguel Locks and is 41.2 ft (12.56 m) at a Miraflores Lake level of 54 in 6 in (16.61 m). The height of the Bridge of the Americas
Bridge of the Americas
The Bridge of the Americas is a road bridge in Panama, which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Completed in 1962, at a cost of US$20 million, it was the only non-swinging bridge connecting the north and south American land masses until the opening of the Centennial Bridge in 2004...
at Balboa
Balboa, Panama
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.- History :The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean...
is the limiting factor on a vessel's overall height.
The maximum dimensions allowed for a ship transiting the canal are:
Length
Over all (including protrusions): 950 ft (289.56 m)Exceptions:
- Container ship and passenger ship: 965 ft (294.13 m)
- Tug-barge combination, rigidly connected: 900 ft (274.32 m) over all
- Other non-self-propelled vessels-tug combination: 850 ft (259.08 m) over all
Width (beam)
Width over outer surface of the shell plating: 106 ft (32.31 m)General exception: 107 ft (32.61 m), when draft is less than 37 ft (11.3 m) in tropical fresh water.
Depth (draft)
In tropical fresh water 39.5 ft (12.04 m). ACP uses the freshwater Gatun Lake as a reference. The salinity and temperature of water affect its density, and hence how deep a ship will float in the water.When the water level in Lake Gatún is low during an exceptionally dry season the maximum permitted draft may be reduced.
Air draft
190 ft (57.91 m) measured from the waterline to the vessel's highest point; limit also pertains to Balboa harbor.Exception: 205 ft (62.5 m) with passage at low water (MLWS) at Balboa is possible
All exceptions are typically allowed only after specific request, an investigation and on a one- or two-time only basis.
A Panamax cargo ship would typically have a DWT
Deadweight tonnage
Deadweight tonnage is a measure of how much weight a ship is carrying or can safely carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water, ballast water, provisions, passengers, and crew...
of 65,000–80,000 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s, but its maximum cargo would be about 52,500 tonnes during a transit due to draft limitations in the canal.
The longest ship ever to transit was the San Juan Prospector, now Marcona Prospector, an ore-bulk-oil carrier
Ore-bulk-oil carrier
An Ore-bulk-oil carrier, also known as combination carrier or OBO, is a ship designed to be capable of carrying wet or dry cargoes. The idea is to reduce the number of empty voyages, in which large ships only carry a cargo one way and return empty for another. These are a feature of the larger...
that is 973 ft (296.57 m) long, with a beam of 106 ft (32.31 m). The widest ships to transit are the four Iowa-class battleships, USS Iowa (BB-61)
USS Iowa (BB-61)
USS Iowa was the lead ship of her class of battleship and the fourth in the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 29th state...
, USS New Jersey (BB-62)
USS New Jersey (BB-62)
USS New Jersey , is an , and was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of New Jersey. New Jersey earned more battle stars for combat actions than the other three completed Iowa-class battleships, and is the only U.S...
, USS Missouri (BB-63)
USS Missouri (BB-63)
|USS Missouri is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship, and was the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Missouri...
, and USS Wisconsin (BB-64)
USS Wisconsin (BB-64)
USS Wisconsin , "Wisky" or "WisKy", is an , the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin...
, which have a maximum beam of 109 ft (33.2 m), leaving less than 6 in (15.2 cm) margin of error between the ships and the walls of the locks.
Post-Panamax ships
Post-Panamax or over-Panamax denote ships larger than Panamax that do not fit in the canal, such as supertankers and the largest modern container ships. The "largest oil tanker in the world"—whichever ship held the title at the time—has not been able to transit the Panama Canal at least since the Idemitsu Maru was launched in the 1960s; she was about 150,000 deadweight tons. U.S. NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
supercarrier
Supercarrier
Supercarrier is an unofficial descriptive term for the largest type of aircraft carrier, usually displacing over 70,000 long tons.Supercarrier is an unofficial descriptive term for the largest type of aircraft carrier, usually displacing over 70,000 long tons.Supercarrier is an unofficial...
s are also in the post-Panamax class; the Nimitz class aircraft carriers
Nimitz class aircraft carrier
The Nimitz-class supercarriers are a class of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the United States Navy. With an overall length of and full-load displacements of over 100,000 long tons, they are the largest capital ships in the world...
are 1092 ft (332.84 m) long overall with a beam of 134 ft (40.84 m), while the flight deck is 252 feet (76.81 m) wide.
2006 Expansion plan and the New Panamax
On October 22, 2006, the Panama Canal Authority (with the support of the Electoral Tribunal) held a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
for Panamanian citizens to vote on the Panama Canal expansion project. The expansion was approved by a wide margin
Panama Canal expansion referendum, 2006
The Panama Canal expansion referendum was held on October 22, 2006, when the citizens of Panama approved the Panama Canal expansion project by a wide margin.-Constitutional background:...
, with support from about 78% of the electorate. It is estimated that the project will be completed by 2014 and will cost $5.3 billion; this sum is expected to be recovered within 11 years.
New Panamax
The plans to build bigger locks have led to the creation of "New Panamax", based on new lock dimensions of 1400 ft (427 m), beam 180 ft (55 m) and depth 60 ft (18.3 m). Naval architects and civil engineerCivil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
s are already taking into account these dimensions for container ships. The world's largest cruise ship, the Oasis of the Seas
MS Oasis of the Seas
MS Oasis of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship in the fleet of Royal Caribbean International. The first of her class, she was joined by her sister ship Allure of the Seas in December 2010. Both vessels cruise the Caribbean from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida...
, has almost New Panamax dimensions but her height may prevent her passing under the Bridge of the Americas
Bridge of the Americas
The Bridge of the Americas is a road bridge in Panama, which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Completed in 1962, at a cost of US$20 million, it was the only non-swinging bridge connecting the north and south American land masses until the opening of the Centennial Bridge in 2004...
even at low tide.
After this expansion, the Panama Canal will be able to handle vessels of cargo capacity up to ; currently, it can only handle vessels up to about . A third set of locks—1400 ft (426.72 m) long, 180 feet (54.9 m) wide, with a draft of 60 ft (18.29 m)—will supplement the two existing sets.
However, even before the revised dimensions were announced, the Maersk E-class—like the Emma Maersk, the future Maersk Triple E Class
Maersk Triple E class
The Maersk Triple E class is a planned family of large, fuel-efficient container ships, designed as a successor to the Mærsk E-class. In February 2011, Maersk awarded Daewoo Shipbuilding a US$1.9 billion contract to build twenty of the ships....
, as well as many large tankers (ULCCs) and some bulk carriers (VLOCs)—will not be able to pass through even the new, much larger locks. The Maersk E and Triple E Class are too wide for even the new locks.
Several ports, including the ports of New York, Norfolk, and Baltimore, all in the northeastern US, have already increased their depth to at least 50 feet (15.2 m) to accommodate these changes, and the Port of Miami
Port of Miami
The Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami is a seaport located in Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida, United States. It is connected to Downtown Miami by Port Boulevard, a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. The port is located on Dodge Island, which is the combination of three historic islands that have...
has recently approved doing the same in a project known as the "Deep Dredge" and will be the closest deep water port to the Panama Canal in the US.
Comparison of sizes
| Locks | Panamax | | New locks | New Panamax1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 1050 ft (320.04 m) | 965 ft (294.13 m) | 1400 ft (427 m) | 1200 ft (366 m) |
| Width | 110 ft (33.53 m) | 106 ft (32.31 m) | 180.5 ft (55 m) | 160.7 ft (49 m) |
| Depth, draft2 | 41.2 ft (12.56 m) | 39.5 ft (12.04 m) | 60 ft (18.3 m) | 49.9 ft (15.2 m) |
| TEU | 5,000 | 12,000 | ||
| 1New Panamax sizes are published in metric system 2Draft in Tropical Freshwater Waterline The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship... (TF) |
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Panamax Cruise Ships
- Spirit class - a similar class of Panamax ships operated by Carnival Cruise LinesCarnival Cruise LinesCarnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
. - Radiance class - a similar class of Panamax ships operated by Royal Caribbean InternationalRoyal Caribbean InternationalRoyal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...
- MV ArcadiaMV ArcadiaA number of ships have been named Arcadia., in service 1997-2003, in service since 2004See also...
- a similar PanamaxPanamaxPanamax and New Panamax are popular terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority titled "Vessel Requirements"...
ship operated by P&O CruisesP&O CruisesP&O Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line based at Carnival House in Southampton, England, and operated by Carnival UK. Originally a constituent of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, P&O Cruises is the oldest cruise line in the world, having operated the world's first...
. - MS Queen VictoriaMS Queen VictoriaMS Queen Victoria is a cruise ship in the Cunard Line fleet, named after Queen Victoria.Queen Victoria is the running mate to Queen Mary 2, and the new Queen Elizabeth. Until November 2008, she also operated alongside Queen Elizabeth 2...
- a similar PanamaxPanamaxPanamax and New Panamax are popular terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority titled "Vessel Requirements"...
sized ship operated by Cunard LineCunard LineCunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
. - Vista class cruise ship - a similar class of PanamaxPanamaxPanamax and New Panamax are popular terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority titled "Vessel Requirements"...
ships operated by Holland America LineHolland America LineThe Holland America Line is a cruise shipping company. It was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company , a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line... - "Signature class" cruise ship - a similar class of PanamaxPanamaxPanamax and New Panamax are popular terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority titled "Vessel Requirements"...
ships operated by Holland America LineHolland America LineThe Holland America Line is a cruise shipping company. It was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company , a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line... - Costa LuminosaCosta LuminosaCosta Luminosa is a cruise ship, owned and operated by Costa Cruises. Costa Luminosa entered service on May 5, 2009. The ship's design is a Hybrid, taking the best elements of Spirit-class and Vista-class cruise ships. A sister ship, Costa Deliziosa was launched in February 2010 and is based on the...
and Costa DeliziosaCosta DeliziosaCosta Deliziosa is a cruise ship operated by Costa Cruises. Ordered in 2007 as part of a five-ship expansion of the Costa Cruises Fleet, Costa Deliziosa was constructed by Fincantieri, launched in March 2009, and handed over to Costa Cruises in January 2010...
- A set of Panamax ships operated by Costa CruisesCosta CruisesCosta Cruises is a British-American owned Italian cruise line, based in Genoa, Italy.Founded in 1924, the company originally operated cargo ships, until the introduction of passenger services in 1947, with regular services between Italy and South America...
derived from the Spirit Class and Vista Class designs. - Coral PrincessCoral PrincessThe Coral Princess is a cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises line. The vessel, along with sister ship Island Princess, was launched in 2002. The Coral Princess and Island Princess are the only two Panamax ships operated by Princess Cruises. She holds the highest paid toll to pass...
and Island PrincessIsland PrincessIsland Princess is a cruise ship for the Princess Cruises line. She is the sister ship to the Coral Princess and together they are the only Panamax ships in Princess's fleet. Built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique - France. The ship features a combined diesel and gas turbine electric powerplant. This...
- A similar set of Panamax ships operated by Princess CruisesPrincess CruisesPrincess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19% share...