Expanded Panama Canal could offer inadvertent emissions cut

While the Panama Canal’s expansion was necessary to enable the waterway to handle many of the large vessels that are now an industry norm, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) claims it will also help to cut carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

In an interview with CM, the ACP’s environmental protection specialist Alexis Rodriguez said that bigger vessels have brought an increased amount of cargo per transit since the expansion opened in June 2016, resulting in a reduction in transits and therefore in CO₂ emissions.

The Panama Canal’s expansion allowed vessels with a capacity of up to approximately 13,000 teu to pass through the canal, compared to just 5,000 teu before the expansion.