Panama Canal Posts 13,400 Transits and $5.7 Billion Revenue

Ten years after the panama canal expansion opened, the new locks are being described as a transport system that tripled capacity and helped drive record fiscal 2025 results. The canal recorded over 13,400 transits, moved 489.2 million tons of cargo and generated $5.7 billion in revenues.

June 26, 2016 in Panama

The Panama Canal Expansion was inaugurated on June 26, 2016, when the giant vessel Cosco Shipping Panama transited through the new locks. More than twenty thousand people were packed along the locks that day, marking the start of the NeoPanamax era and the entry of Post-Panamax ships into the waterway.

Since 2016, the new Panama Canal lock system has handled over 32,000 ships built by the Webuild consortium. The system was designed for 6–7 ships per day, and it is now handling nearly 9 super-vessels per day, according to the figures released for the ten-year period.

Fiscal year 2025 records

Official data show the canal’s 13,400-plus transits in fiscal year 2025 were up 19.3% from the previous year, while cargo tonnage rose 15.6% to 489.2 million tons. The $5.7 billion revenue total also exceeded the $5 billion level that builders had forecast for the first decade after the new locks opened.

Since the launch of the NeoPanamax era, approximately 137,000 ships have crossed the Central American isthmus and generated over $36 billion in revenue for Panama. For shipping lines that prioritize reliability, predictability and safety, the canal has returned to the center of global maritime logistics strategies, especially as other lanes have faced instability.

Webuild and the next decade

The most immediate test for Panama is whether the canal can keep that pace as more cargo shifts toward the expanded locks. The fiscal 2025 figures show the new system has already outperformed its original daily design target, and they give Panama a stronger operating baseline for the next years of the NeoPanamax era.