Panama Canal to reduce ship traffic over drought triggered by El Nino

PANAMA CITY — The Panama Canal will cut the number of ships passing through it starting next month because of drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon, the operator of the strategic waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific said Thursday.

From Sept 3, the number of vessels allowed through each day will fall from 36 to 34 due to low water levels in two artificial lakes that feed the canal, the Panama Canal Authority said. It will drop to 32 from Sept 15 on, the agency said.

Central America is in the throes of a severe drought driven by El Nino, a weather pattern that warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, triggering worldwide changes in winds, atmospheric pressure and rainfall.

In the area of the canal, rainfall from May to August was 34 percent below its historical average, while watershed inflows fell 44 percent below normal, the authority said, adding that El Nino could cut precipitation even more.

Further restrictions

The authority said lower-than-forecast rainfall in the canal's watershed called for measures to bolster the long-term sustainability of the waterway. It does not rule out further restrictions on shipping depending on how much it rains in the coming weeks.

The canal had registered an average of 35 daily transits through June, corresponding to vessel demand, with the capacity to handle around 40 crossings per day.

Under the new measures, daily capacity at the Neopanamax locks will be capped at nine slots, while capacity at the older Panamax locks will be limited to 25 slots. From Sept 15, Panamax capacity will be further reduced to 23 slots.

The canal operator has already implemented other water conservation measures, such as lowering the maximum draft for the largest ships. It is also postponing previously scheduled reductions to maximum authorized drafts.

Panama Canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said El Nino this year could last much longer than before, requiring the canal to limit transit capacity, as it did during droughts in 2023 and 2024, in addition to imposing draft restrictions.

In 2023, water levels in the lakes feeding the canal fell so low that operators cut daily ship transits from 38 to 22.

The Panama Canal handles 5 percent of global maritime trade and around 40 percent of US container traffic.

AGENCIES VIA XINHUA