Panamax
n.—Gloss: a cargo ship built to be small enough to go through the Panama Canal. «The ships are bound for Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. (Very little Australian coal goes to China.) The bigger ones are called “Capies” to distinguish them from the smaller Panamax ships that can fit through the Panama Canal. The Capies finish loading on a rising tide so they can sail immediately; once full, they would settle on the harbour’s muddy bottom if they were loaded at low tide. The waiting vessels not only represent a hiccup in the mineral export boom, the mining companies are paying more than a million dollars a day in penalties to the ship owners.» —“Bottlenecks in Newcastle—Dad’s Army has nothing on Iemma’s Navy” by Michael Duffy Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Apr. 14, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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