Panamax
A ship sized to the dimensional limits of the original Panama Canal locks; in dry bulk, the class just below Kamsarmax.
- Category
- Vessel Size and Tonnage
- Deadweight (bulkers)
- 65,000 to 80,000 DWT
- Beam limit (original locks)
- about 32.3 m
- Canal expansion
- 2016
- Dictionary entry
- Panamax
- Last reviewed
How it works
Panamax originally meant the largest vessel that could transit the original Panama Canal locks, constrained above all by beam. In dry bulk it refers to the carrier class just below Kamsarmax. The canal expansion created a larger "Neopanamax" envelope.
The class is a workhorse of the grain, coal and minor-bulk trades and a key benchmark in dry-bulk freight indices alongside Capesize and Supramax.
Where it shows up on The Maritime
Also known as: neopanamax, panamax bulker.
The short dictionary definition is at Dictionary entry: Panamax. This page is the explainer.
Related terms
Kamsarmax
A dry-bulk carrier sized to the maximum length that can load at the port of Kamsar in Guinea, one step above the classic Panamax.
Capesize
The largest standard dry-bulk carrier, too big for the Panama and Suez canals and so routed around the Capes.
Deadweight Tonnage (DWT)
The total weight a ship can carry (cargo plus fuel, stores, crew and water) at her load line, in metric tonnes.
More vessel size and tonnage terms
A plain-English reference definition: our own explanation of a standard shipping concept, not a licensed source or legal advice. See the full glossary or the broader maritime dictionary.
Last reviewed: .