Panama Canal to Reduce Daily Transit Slots to 9 and 25 Starting September 2026

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced that, due to lower-than-expected rainfall in the watershed, it will reduce the daily transit slots for the locks starting September 3, 2026, and postpone the adjustment plan for the maximum allowable draft of the Neopanamax locks.

Beginning September 3, 2026, the daily transit slots will be 9 for the Neopanamax locks and 25 for the Panamax locks. As of September 15, the daily transit capacity of the Panamax locks will be further reduced to 23 slots.

Despite the onset of the rainy season and the water-saving measures already implemented by the canal, the Panama Canal Authority made the aforementioned decision. The Authority stated that precipitation in the watershed has been lower than expected, requiring continued adjustments to operational scheduling.

With the reduction in transit slots, vessels that have not confirmed a transit reservation in advance may face increased waiting times upon arrival at the canal. Reservations made through the transit reservation system are an effective mechanism to secure a transit date.

The canal authority also announced a new auction scheme, dividing vessels into four groups by type: Group 1 consists of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers; Group 2 includes bulk carriers, general cargo vessels, and other ships; Group 3 covers container ships, car carriers/ro-ro vessels, and reefer ships; Group 4 comprises chemical tankers, crude oil tankers, and product tankers.

Customers who have already secured a slot for the same date through LoTSA, Net Zero, or prior allocations will not be eligible for additional slots unless no other competitors participate. This restriction does not apply to slots obtained through auction.

In the Neopanamax locks, fully laden container ships with the largest TEU capacity will receive priority in slot allocation; in the event of a tie, customer classification will be used as the tie-breaking criterion.

The canal has also modified its original plan to reduce the maximum allowable draft of the Neopanamax locks. The 14.63-meter limit originally scheduled to take effect on August 26 has been changed to September 2; the subsequent adjustment to 14.48 meters, originally set for September 3, has been postponed to October 1, 2026.