The Panama Canal Authority (AMP) plans to maintain current draught limits in the canal into next year as it faces unprecedented droughts that have severely diminished its water supply from Lake Gatun.
The AMP said the canal aims to maintain a draught of 13.41 metres — or 44 feet — through the rest of 2023 and part of 2024, “unless significant changes occur in weather conditions from current projections”.
Consistent with the draught, the canal will limit vessel transits to 32 vessels per day, down from an average of 36 ships in normal circumstances, the AMP said.
Neopanamax transit capacity will “remain largely unchanged” at an average of 10 daily crossings, the authority said.
Also effective from 8 to 21 August, the AMP implemented a new booking measure called Condition 3 that limits daily booking slots in the panamax locks to 10 reservations for super-sized ships, which have beams of at least 27.73 metres.
It also restricts reservations for regular-sized vessels, which have maximum beams of 27.73 metres, to four booking slots per day, the AMP said.
“This adjustment ... has been introduced to alleviate congestion for ships already in queue to transit or in route, who were unable to secure reservations beforehand,” the AMP said.
Reservations for the neopanamax locks remain unaffected.
There were 161 ships waiting to cross the canal as of Thursday, Reuters has reported. Wait times for some ships are as high as 21 days.
“We’ve had long lineups of ships before,” the AMP said.
“Despite current limitations and measures taken, demand remains high, hence the increased waiting times.”
The AMP will strive to keep customers informed about booking slot availability through regular updates, transparent dialogue and close collaboration with shipping lines and stakeholders, canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez Morales said.
“We strive to manage expectations and provide real-time information that enables our customers to make informed decisions,” he said.
