Panamax Bulk Carrier: Size, Cargoes and Chartering
Panamax ships are the standard size for large grain and coal cargoes. The name comes from the Panama Canal, which for a century set the limit of their width.
Why the name Panamax
The Panama Canal locks built in 1914 are about 33 metres wide. A Panamax ship was designed to be as large as possible and still fit through them, which means a beam of about 32 metres. This gives a typical size of about 65,000 to 80,000 DWT. The canal added larger locks in 2016, but the Panamax class stayed because many ships, ports and contracts are built around it.
Panamax and Kamsarmax
A Kamsarmax is a slightly longer and larger Panamax of about 80,000 to 85,000 DWT. The name comes from Port Kamsar in Guinea, which has a length limit for ships loading bauxite. Today Kamsarmax is the most common type of new Panamax-class bulk carrier. Some older ships called Panamax are smaller, so ask for the DWT and the ship details.
Typical cargoes
Panamax ships carry large cargoes of grain, soybeans, coal, petcoke, bauxite, iron ore, fertilizers and scrap. They are important for the grain trade from North and South America and the Black Sea to Asia, Africa and the Middle East. See grain cargo shipping and coal and ore shipping.
Ports and gear
A Panamax ship is deeper and longer than a Supramax, so it needs a port with enough draft and berth length. Most Panamax ships have no cranes. The ports must have shore equipment to load and discharge, or the cargo has to be moved with floating cranes. If your discharge port has no equipment, a Supramax with cranes may be more practical.
When Panamax is the right choice
Choose a Panamax when the cargo is about 55,000 to 75,000 tonnes, the ports can take the draft, and the route is long enough that a bigger ship lowers the freight per tonne. For smaller parcels or ports with little equipment look at the smaller size classes. For very large shipments such as iron ore on long routes, look at Capesize.
How to post your request
State the cargo, the quantity range, the loading and discharging ports, the laycan and the loading and discharging rates you expect. Ship operators will answer with ships that fit the dates and the ports. The guide freight rates explained shows how the answer is quoted.
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