Container ships that traditionally unload at major U.S. west coast ports such as Los Angeles and Long Beach could soon be headed for ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast. This is due to the recently completed expansion of the Panama Canal, which will allow bigger ships to bypass the more crowded and expensive West Coast ports in favour of ports that are less congested and offer shorter land routes to the U.S. east coast.
Previously, the waterway could only accommodate ships carrying about 5,000 containers. Now, ships holding as many as 14,000 containers can use the canal. The expansion of the waterway was completed in April at a total cost of $5.25 billion.
For more information, contact David Lychek, Manager – Ocean & Air Services.