MSC Boxship Sets New Panama Canal Cargo Capacity Record
The Panama Canal Authority has announced a new record for the largest container ship to transit the canal. While the record is always significant, it also attracted more attention because it comes as the Panama Canal recovers from restrictions on ship transits caused by a prolonged drought in 2024.
The recently launched MSC Marie (202,562 DWT) holds the honour today, departing Mexico on a route starting in China and South Korea. The vessel was delivered to MSC in 2024 as part of its ongoing fleet expansion and has a maximum capacity of 17,640 TEU. The Liberian-registered ship appears to have transited the canal at a draft of approximately 48 feet to confirm salvage and ease transit restrictions.
Although the same size, the MSC Marie has a larger container capacity
The MSC Marie has the same basic dimensions as the previous record holder, Evergreen’s Ever Max, set in August 2023. Both ships are 1,200 feet (366 meters) long and have an average length of 167.4 feet (51 meters). The Ever Max ship has a nominal capacity of 17,312 TEU. Still, when it arrived at the Panama Canal during the restrictions, it had to unload containers transported across the isthmus by rail to meet towing restrictions.
The ships also demonstrate the continued growth of the industry and the deployment of larger capacity ships on trade routes using the Panama Canal. The Ever Max and now the MSC Marie are the same size as the CMA CGM Zephyr, which set the capacity record in 2022 with 16,285 TEU.
The previous record had been held since 2019, when the 1,210-foot Triton, operated for Evergreen with a capacity of 14,000 TEU, became the largest container ship to pass through the Neopanamax locks. It is still the largest ship in terms of length, but industrial changes in loading systems have allowed more containers to be loaded onto similar-sized ships.
The Panama Canal Authority stressed that today’s record demonstrates the canal’s ability to accommodate the largest and most modern ships and highlights its role as a major hub for global trade.
