The Panama Canal has communicated a new cut in the number of ships that will be able to cross this interoceanic route daily, as a consequence of the decrease in rainfall in the canal basin associated with the negative effects of the El Niño phenomenon. The Canal Authority will progressively reduce the transit slots until they are set at 32 crossings per day.
"The Panama Canal announced today, through a notice to shipping companies, temporary modifications to the transit capacity of the locks, including adjustments to its daily auctions, due to the reduction in precipitation in the watershed of the Canal," the Canal Authority stated in a statement.
Starting September 3, the daily limit of vessels that can pass through the locks will be set at 34. After September 15, this cap will be lowered again, to 32 vessels per day.
Panama is already in the midst of the rainy season, but the current water level in the basin requires additional measures to "support the long-term sustainability of transit operations," according to the authorities. These decisions add to other water-saving initiatives already applied in the canal, such as restrictions on the allowed draft for ships.
The Canal Authority has warned that this reduction in capacity could translate into longer waiting times for vessels that do not have prior reservations, so it has urged its customers to use the available reservation systems to ensure their passage.
"The Panama Canal will continue to closely monitor weather conditions, water contributions from the basin, and lake levels. If additional operational adjustments are necessary, the Canal will promptly inform its customers. Because weather conditions are evolving more rapidly than originally anticipated, the Panama Canal will make all reasonable efforts to announce any future adjustments as early as possible," the statement reads.
El Niño is a climatic phenomenon characterized by the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, which significantly alters global weather patterns and can cause important environmental and climatic variations.