Cosco Shipping Panama will become the first vessel to transit the newly expanded Panama Canal on 27 June and will do so carrying Total Lubmarine lubricants, also using Total’s Diagomar Plus testing system.
Cosco Shipping Panama is scheduled to go through the Agua Clara Locks on the Atlantic side of the canal early on the Monday (27 June) morning and then through the Cocoli Locks on the canal’s Pacific side during the afternoon.
The transit of the 9443 TEU ship will form a part of the Canal’s inauguration ceremony – large crowds are expected at either set of locks to cheer the ship through.
COSCO is the vessel’s operator and ship is owned and managed by MC-Seamax Management, a US based containership owning investment firm. MC-Seamax is a recent customer of Total Lubmarine, with several vessels leased to major container shipping lines.
The vessel was originally named Andronikos but had its name changed after winning the inaugural transit slot.
The expansion of the Panama Canal will allow post-panamax container vessels to transit for the first time. This development will most likely mean a change in trading patterns for many of the panamax container vessels currently operating on liner routes passing through the Canal.
Total Lubmarine is proud to be supplying the lubricants for this historic first crossing of the Canal by a post-panamax vessel and looks forward to supplying the future needs of customers with Panama Canal operations.