Excellence -- Container Ship near Charleston, South Carolina Greeting Card

Built in 2003 for the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines shipping company of Japan, the 965-foot MOL Excellence was as large as it could be and still pass through the Panama Canal. The Panamax ships, as they were known, were introduced in 1980 and were restricted by the size that the locks in the canal were first built in 1914.

But the MOL Excellence would not have a long life. In June of 2016 the Panama Canal expansion was completed allowing for much larger ships to pass through. Increased ship capacity combined with a slump in the cargo market meant that many container ships were sitting idly by. A month after the canal expansion opened - after only 13 years of service and fourteen months after this photo was made - the MOL Excellence became the youngest container vessel ever to be sold for scrap.

I have been photographing the things I see for over thirty years. A resident of San Luis Obispo County, I'm lucky to have many excellent photo destinations within a few minutes' or hours' drive. Beyond the local area, I have traveled throughout California and the western United States, visited far away American destinations such as Chicago, New York, Florida, and Alaska, and international destinations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. My photography varies from Architecture to Industrial Art to Nature to Wildlife and I'm sure you'll find something suitable for your home or office. Visit my blog