Panama Canal Reduces Daily Ship Transits in Response to El Niño

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Panama Canal Authority announced on the 20th that, due to reduced rainfall in the canal watershed caused by the El Niño phenomenon, it will lower the daily number of ship transits through the locks starting in September and adjust the daily transit slot auction mechanism.

According to the announcement released by the Panama Canal Authority that day, starting September 3, the daily available transit slots for the Neopanamax locks will be adjusted to 9, and for the Panamax locks to 25, bringing the total daily transit slots for both types of locks to 34. Starting September 15, the daily transit slots for the Panamax locks will be further reduced to 23, lowering the canal's total daily transit slots to 32.

The announcement stated that although Panama has entered the rainy season and the canal authority has implemented water-saving measures, rainfall in the canal watershed remains below expectations, necessitating further adjustments to operational measures.

The Panama Canal Authority also stated that, if necessary, it will suspend the transit reservation system in whole or in part. This system allows ships to reserve canal transit slots for specific dates in advance, and vessels whose reserved slots are consequently canceled will not be subject to fines, surcharges, or cancellation fees. The Panama Canal Authority will continue to monitor meteorological conditions, watershed inflow, and lake water level changes, and will adjust operational measures in a timely manner accordingly.