Seven years after the opening of the expanded Panama Canal firmly established the neo-panamax vessel as a new standard class, numerous classic panamax ships still form part of the container fleet.
As per the end of November 2023, Alphaliner counted 515 panamaxes in active service. With a total capacity of 2.33 Mteu, this segment presently accounts for 8.2.% of the global iner fleet capacity and the ships have an average age of 16.2 years.
Following an ordering wave for new compact ships in the 7,000 to 9,000 teu size range, aimed at replacing ageing post-panamax tonnage, a new class of classic panamax replacement ships in the 5,000 – 6,000 teu class is now needed.
Source: Alphaliner
