Panamax (bulker)
Bulk carrier sized to fit the original Panama Canal locks: max 32.31 m beam, 294 m LOA, ~12.04 m draft fresh; ~65,000-80,000 DWT.
In practice
Sized to the original Panama Canal lock dimensions (32.31 m beam). Largely superseded by Neo-Panamax for new builds since the 2016 expansion.
Regulatory detail & full definition
Panamax describes a ship built to the maximum dimensions of the original Panama Canal locks — a beam of no more than 32.31 metres (106 ft), a length of about 294 metres and a draft around 12 metres. In the dry-bulk trades a Panamax bulker of roughly 65,000–80,000 DWT carries coal, grain and iron ore, while 'Panamax' container ships were long the mainline standard. Since the canal's 2016 expansion the larger Neo-Panamax dimensions apply to new tonnage, but the original Panamax size still dominates much of the bulk fleet and many non-canal trades.
Authoritative source: Panama Canal Authority ↗
Related
Source: Panama Canal Authority; Baltic Exchange BPI definition
High confidence
Editorial confidence: how we grade.