Cargo ship breaks record for largest to transit the Panama Canal

A ship capable of carrying 17,640 containers transits the Panama Canal, breaking the record for the largest vessel to transit the waterway. The coargo ship MSC Marie, 366 meters long and 51 meters wide, passed through the port of Manzanillo on the Mexican Pacific, en route to a port in the Caribbean.

The sea route was expanded in 2016 so that larger and deeper draft ships can pass through this route that connects more than 1,900 ports in 170 countries. The main routes go from Asia to the east coast of the United States. This country, along with China, Japan and South Korea, are its main users. It is estimated that 5% of world maritime trade passes through the Panamanian route.