An 8,500-TEU MV Xin Fei Zhou neopanamax containership has crashed into a wall of the new Agura Clara Locks of the expanded Panama Canal, which has caused damage to the ship’s hull, according to gCaptain.
This news follows concerns by Panamanian union workers that the expanded Panama Canal would be unsafe, even a year after the delivery of the project.
A study released by corporate investigations firm PGI Intelligence found that, at 427 metres long and 55 metres wide, the new locks would be too small to handle neo-panamax ships.
Unions first raised concerns when the Panama Canal Administration refused to engage in dialogue around topics relating to training, according to a previous study commissioned by the International Transport Workers Federation.
It was previously reported that the expanded canal will be able to handle ships of up to 14,000 TEU, but this could be indicative of more issues to follow, particularly with regards to manoeuvrability.
This is in line with insight posed by Allianz Corporate & Speciality that there is expected to be an increase in operational, environmental and commercial risks.