Norwegian Bliss, one of the world’s largest cruise ships, has become the largest passenger ship ever to transit the Panama Canal, two years after the opening of new locks that allow the world’s superships to pass between the oceans.
The ship passed through on its inaugural cruise, moving from the Meyer Werft shipyards in Germany to Seattle, which will be its first homeport.
Panama crossings have been increasingly popular in the past few years, although most cruise ships go half-way and then return to the ocean they came from. The authority that operates the canal expects 248 passenger transits this year; 20 of the ships making trips could not have passed the old locks.
