Monday (Dec 10), the Panama Canal welcomed its 5,000th Neopanamax vessel through the waterway: the 13,345 TEU containership COSCO Faith.

Panama Canal welcomed its 5,000th Neopanamax vessel through the waterway
Caption: Containership Cosco Faith

The 366 m x 46.2 m ship transited the Canal traveling southbound from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

"The steady increase in Neopanamax transits reflects our customer's confidence in the Panama Canal route," said Canal Administrator Jorge L. Quijano. "We reinforce our commitment to continually improve our service to better serve the industry."

The COSCO Faith is part of Ocean Alliance's Manhattan Bridge-AWE2 service, between Asia and the US East Coast.

Of the 5,000 Neopanamax vessels that have transited to date, 51 percent have been containerships. Liquefied petroleum gas vessels account for another 26 percent, and liquefied natural gas carriers, a relatively new segment to the Panama Canal, make up 10 percent. Dry and liquid bulk carriers, car carriers and cruise ships make up the remaining transits.

For Panama Canal cruise schedule, fun facts and statistics see at CruiseMapper