When the $5.5 billion expansion of the Panama Canal opened on June 26, 2016, dignitaries from around the world and 25,000 Panamanians lined the banks of the canal. But on the first anniversary, it was pretty much a working day.

Five NeoPanamax vessels — ships too long, too wide and too heavy to fit through the locks of the original canal — transited through the new locks last Monday. The largest was Hapag Lloyd’s Valparaiso Express. With a capacity of more than 13,000 TEUs (the equivalent of standard 20-foot long containers), the ship can carry more than  2 1/2 times the cargo of vessels using the original canal, which was built more than 100 years ago.

Each of the five transiting vessels received a commemorative plaque, but there wasn’t the fanfare and fireworks of last year when the expansion — seven years under construction and two years behind schedule — finally opened.