Panama Canal Expansion Paves Way for Largest Ship to Call at New York/New Jersey

MOL Benefactor transits the expanded Panama Canal, July 1, 2016. Photo: Panama Canal Authority

The largest ship to ever call at the Port of New York and New Jersey is set to dock Friday after having just passed through the expanded Panama Canal.

The 10,000 TEU MOL Benefactor will call at the GCT Bayonne container terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey on July 8, kicking off a series of port calls along the U.S. east coast.

The ship became the first post-panamax containership to make a commercial transit through the Panama Canal’s new neo-panamax locks on July 1, paying a record toll of more than $829,000 to the Panama Canal Authority for the transit.

MOL Benefactor is deployed on the G6 Alliance’s new NYX service, providing a direct link between far east Asia and the U.S. East Coast and Latin America. After New York, the vessel will call at Norfolk, Virginia and Savannah, Georgia.

The ports are among several located along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts that have invested millions of dollars in preparation for the arrival of larger ships container ships with the opening of the expanded Panama Canal.

The MOL Benefactor was delivered in March 2016 and is 336.96 meters in length by 48.2 meters in beam.