Fact Friday: Mega Ships
Seeking efficiency and economies of scale, the world’s container
carriers are increasingly ordering mega-ships capable of handling more
than 8,000 20-foot-equivalent container units, especially on the
Asia-Europe trade lane. Shippers and carriers looking to reach the North
American east coast with these post-Panamax ships must transit the Suez
Canal because, as their name implies, they are too big to sail through
the Panama Canal. But with Panama’s decade-long canal expansion project
set for completion in 2015, the giant vessels will be able to add the
Panama Canal to their route options. Ports around the world are
preparing for the onslaught of these mega-ships, dredging harbors and
investing in super-post-Panamax cranes that can reach across 22 or more
rows of containers to expedite loading and unloading operations.
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