Panama Canal to cut daily transits due to El Niño-linked drought

Latest daily reductions will further choke one of the world’s most important shipping lanesThe Panama canal plans to again cut maritime traffic due to worsening drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon, further choking up one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.The canal handles 5% of global maritime trade and about 40% of US container traffic; it is favoured by shippers because it usually reduces cost and transit times, especially for companies trading between China, Asia and the US. Continue reading...

The authorities cut daily transits from 36 to 32 on Sept 4 to preserve water and will slash them further to 'an average of 29.5 transits' a day starting in October.

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP)—The Panama Canal is planning further reductions to maritime traffic through the waterway after already slashing numbers due to the El Nino weather pattern, the canal's administrator said Monday. Panama has declared a nationwide emergency over El Nino, a phenomenon developing over the Pacific Ocean that is affecting worldwide weather patterns and pushing up global temperatures. These conditions have provoked a severe drought in Central America, which poses huge problems for the interoceanic Panama Canal. Five per cent of global trade passes through the waterway, which cannot function without the water it uses to power its locks that lift and lower ships at the start and end of their crossing. Canal authorities cut daily transits from 36 to 32 on September 4 to preserve water, and will slash them further to "an average of 29.5 transits" a day from October, according to a draft budget submitted to Panama's parliament. The approved budget "ensures that the canal continues to operate safely, continuously, efficiently and profitably," said Minister for Canal Affairs Jose Ramon Ycaza. This year's El Nino is expected to be the strongest since record-keeping began four decades ago. In 2023, the phenomenon forced a reduction in daily transits through the canal from 38 to 22. The US-Israeli war on Iran has pushed up traffic through the channel given the standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for a fifth of the world's oil and gas.

With drought tightening its grip on Panama, the country’s vital canal may have to accept even fewer ships in the months ahead, the newly appointed administrator of the waterway has warned, as El Niño drives down the rainwater the system depends on. Panama has declared a nationwide emergency over El Niño, a phenomenon developing over […]

Canal authorities may further reduce ship traffic if a strengthening El Niño worsens the country's drought.

The weather phenomenon has caused rainwater levels in two reservoirs used to operate the canal's locks to drop.

The number of ships sailing through the Panama Canal could be cut further due to drought caused by the El Niño weather pattern, the new administrator of the waterway has said.

The number of ships sailing through the Panama Canal could be cut further due to drought caused by the El Nino weather pattern, the new administrator of the waterway told Agence France-Presse on Monday. Panama has declared a nationwide emergency over El Nino, a phenomenon developing over the Pacific Ocean that is affecting worldwide weather patterns and pushing up global temperatures. This year’s El Nino is expected to be the strongest since record-keeping began four decades ago. Panama’s...

Panama Canal administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta says further cuts to daily ship transits remain possible as El Niño worsens drought and strains water supplies. The post Panama Canal May Restrict Ship Traffic as El Niño Worsens appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP)—The Panama Canal is not ruling out new restrictions on ship traffic due to a drought exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon, the critical waterway's new administrator told AFP on Monday. The interoceanic canal -- through which five percent of global maritime trade passes -- has already gradually reduced the maximum number of ships allowed daily from 36 to 32. But Ilya Espino de Marotta, who took over as administrator on Monday, said in an interview that further measures may be implemented if the drought does not subside. "We do not rule out the possibility that in February or March we may have to lower the limit -- probably not to 24 slots per day, but it could be reduced to 29 or something similar," Espino de Marotta told AFP. The Panama Canal, which opened to commercial traffic in 1914, operates using rainwater stored in two reservoirs. Their water levels have dropped due to the drought caused by El Nino, which is shaping up to be the most intense on record and has prompted a nationwide alert. In 2023, El Nino forced a reduction in daily transits from 38 to 22 due to the dramatic reduction in reservoir levels. Espino de Marotta, the first woman ever to head the US-built canal, stated, however, that she does not expect restrictions to reach the levels seen that year. Last Friday, 34 vessels were allowed through. This number will drop to 32 beginning September 15, officials said, with the maximum draft also gradually reduced from 15.2 meters to 14.6 meters (50 feet to 48 feet). The United States and China are the main users of Panama's maritime route linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The Panama Canal is projected to limit ship transits to just 27 daily due to urgent water shortages. This prediction reflects the severe conditions seen in 1997, the driest year recorded. As climate change intensifies the occurrence of arid years, canal operations face increasing repercussions. Already higher shipping costs may rise further if these adjustments are made, putting additional strain on global trade and commodity distribution.

Shrinking water supplies are forcing the Panama Canal to slow the flow of global commerce, as a drought linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon drives authorities to cut back ship transits. The Panama Canal Authority said it is responding to low water levels in the two artificial lakes that feed the canal, a critical […]

The Panama Canal on Friday (Sep 4) began reducing the number of ships passing through due to a drought caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

The Panama Canal has begun to reduce the number of ships passing through due to a drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

The number of vessels allowed through the waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans will be lowered from 36 per day to 32 by mid-September.

The Panama Canal will restrict the number of vessels transiting the crucial waterway from Friday for only the second time because of drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon.

The Panama Canal will restrict the number of vessels transiting the crucial waterway from Friday for the second time ever due to drought caused by the El Nino climate phenomenon. Five percent of global trade passes through the canal that connects the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic. The waterway is set to reduce daily traffic […] The post How El Nino is choking the Panama Canal appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP) — The Panama Canal will restrict the number of vessels transiting the crucial waterway from Friday for the second time ever due to drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon. Five per cent of global trade passes through the canal that connects the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic. The waterway is set to reduce daily traffic from 36 to 32 ships a day in an effort to conserve water amid a severe drought likely to last until mid-2027. Canal authorities are also reducing the permitted draft of vessels -- how deep they sit in the water -- from 15.24 to 14.63 meters. Panama has declared an emergency over El Niño, which raises surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and causes global changes in winds and rainfall as well as erratic weather conditions. The canal's incoming administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta has acknowledged the current "challenging" conditions. The 80-kilometre (50-mile) canal draws on freshwater that comes mainly from rainfall and is stored in artificial lakes. Without water, its locks that lift and lower ships at the beginning and end of the journey would not function. Each transiting ship requires about 200 million litres of water, which is then discharged into the sea. Water "is the most important resource for operations," but "between April and August the accumulated rainfall deficit was 35.8 per cent below the historical average," the canal's water manager Erick Cordoba told AFP. And there are "no signs of recovery in the short term," Cordoba added. Forecasts indicate that the 2027 dry season, normally between January and April, will start a little earlier than usual and extend into May. In 2023 and 2024, El Niño forced a reduction in daily transits to 22 and the maximum draft to 13.41 meters. That led to 20 per cent fewer vessels and a 17 per cent drop in tonnage, not to mention longer lines of ships queuing up. Further restrictions could follow those imposed on Friday. "If we don't manage to fill the lakes in November, we're going to have to tighten our belts," former canal administrator Jorge Quijano told AFP. Long-lasting restrictions will lead to "higher shipping costs and longer waiting times" and therefore higher prices for consumers, Rebecca Bill Chavez, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, told AFP. A ship loses around 200 containers for every 30-centimetre draft decrease, according to Quijano. That amounts to hundreds of units for large vessels that can carry up to 16,000. "We're going to see a significant impact on the container sector," which is the canal's biggest source of revenue, he said. But Danish shipping company Maersk believes it is still "too early" to "speculate" about the impact. The route mainly connects China, South Korea and Japan with the United States -- the origin or destination of seven in ten containers that pass through the canal. Rising costs could "potentially affect US trade," said analyst Natasha Lindstaedt of Britain's University of Essex. If he wanted to, US President Donald Trump could argue "that trust and reliability in the channel have been lost," Lindstaedt said. The US-Israel war on Iran has pushed up traffic in the Panama Canal given the standstill the conflict caused in the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world's oil and gas normally travels. The difficulties on both routes "put real pressure on global supply chains," noted Bill. The canal authority plans to build a new 4,600-hectare reservoir on the Indio River to the west as a way to limit the effects of future droughts on operations. But this project would not be ready before 2031. The canal's watershed also supplies drinking water to half of Panama's 4.6 million inhabitants via infrastructure that was designed almost a century ago.

A Central American waterway, lacking water, is now forced to make cuts to daily traffic. Here’s why

A historically intense El Niño is causing shipping to be slowed down

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 on Thursday. From September 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 September 15 on, the agency said. Central America is in...

Panama Canal will cut daily transits from 40 to 32 vessels by September 15, risking slower shipping and higher costs.

PANAMA Canal’s operator is to cut the number of vessels passing through the key waterway due to low rainfall caused by El Niño. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) told shipping firms on Thursday that 32 vessels a day will be able to pass through it from 15 September, compared to 36 currently. El Niño, a […]

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

Panama Canal will cut daily transits of ships from September because of low rainfall and amid an intensifying El Nino event.

The crucial waterway's operator says low rainfall caused by the ocean pattern had led to the decision.

The operator said it does not rule out further restrictions on shipping depending on how much it rains in the coming weeks.

The Panama Canal will reduce shipping volumes from next month because of a drought fueled by the El Niño phenomenon, the operator of the strategic waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans said.

PANAMA CITY, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The Panama Canal Authority will cap daily transits as of early September as it gears up for a longer-than-usual El Niño season expected to reduce water levels, it said on Thursday, walking back a previous pledge to not limit vessel passage. 

From Sept. 3, the number of vessels allowed through each day will fall from 36 to 34, before dropping further to 32 from Sept. 15 onward.

Further restrictions on shipping lane possible as Central America gripped by severe droughtThe Panama canal will cut the number of ships passing through it starting next month because of drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon, the operator of the strategic waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific said Thursday.From 3 September, 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. From 15 September, the number of ships permitted will drop to 32. Continue reading...

The El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to increase the likelihood of drought and excess heat across the region.

Authority plans to reduce number of passages for only the second time

The canal's operator says lower-than-forecast rainfall is prompting measures to bolster the waterway's long-term sustainability.

The Panama Canal will allow fewer ships to pass through the waterway beginning in September as a drought linked to El Niño reduces the amount of water available. The Panama Canal Authority said daily crossings will be limited to 34 ships starting September 4. That number will fall again to 32 ships per day on […] The post Panama Canal Cuts Ship Traffic as El Niño Drought Worsens appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Under the new measures, the canal will limit daily transits as of Sept. 4 to 34 vessels, and reduce the number to 32 as of Sept. 15.

The Panama Canal will limit daily vessel traffic from September 3, the Pnama Canal Authority said Thursday, as a severe drought fuelled by El Nino depletes water supplies needed to operate the vital trade route. The restrictions will reduce crossings from 36 ships a day to 34, and then to 32 from September 15.

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP)—The Panama Canal will reduce shipping volumes from next month because of a drought fueled by the El Nino phenomenon, the operator of the strategic waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans said Thursday. From September 3, the number of vessels allowed through the canal each day will be reduced due to a lack of rain, the Panama Canal Authority said. From 36 ships currently, the number will be lowered to 34, falling further to 32 from September 15, 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. The Panama Canal handles five percent of global maritime trade and around 40 percent of US container traffic. It is fed by rainwater that collects in two artificial lakes. The canal operator said that "lower than forecast rainfall in the canal's watershed" called for measures to bolster the "long-term sustainability" of the waterway. It has already implemented other water conservation measures, such as lowering the maximum draft -- the vessel's depth in the water -- for the largest ships. El Nino occurs on average every two to seven years. This year's El Nino is shaping up as one of the strongest on record. On Wednesday, the government of Honduras placed 80 percent of that Central American country on drought alert.