The Panama Canal will hold a draw on Friday, 29 April to select the first vessel which will transit through the expanded canal when it is inaugurated on Sunday, 26 June.
The draw will take place at the Panama Canal Administration Building with a public notary to serve as witness.
Draw from Top Fifteen
The Panama Canal has invited its top fifteen customers to participate in the draw for the inaugural transit. Of the invited customers, those interested in participating were required to indicate the Neopanamax vessel’s name, type and dimensions.
The proposed vessel is required to not surpass a maximum beam of 49 metres and a maximum overall length of 366 metres. In addition, the maximum draft or point of immersion for the inaugural transit will be 12.5 metres. For security purposes, gas carriers will not be considered for the inaugural transit.
The draw will be carried out with ballots labeled with the name of each participant. A second ballot will be drawn as runner-up if the winner will not be able to deploy an approved vessel for the inauguration.
Only one Neopanamax vessel in southbound direction will be allowed to transit the expanded canal for its inauguration during daylight hours. Regular commercial transits will commence on 27 June.
The event will be streaming live on the Panama Canal’s YouTube channel.
Picture: The Expanded Panama Canal (by the Panama Canal Authority, ACP).
