Panama Canal Authority to reduce daily vessel crossings amidst severe drought

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will reduce the number of daily vessels crossing the canal from 32 to 31 from 1 November, to mitigate the impact of a severe drought situation which is expected to continue till next year.

PHOTO: Port of Balboa at Panama's Pacific Ocean side. Getty Images

According to the ACP, nine vessels will pass via the Neopanamax lock and 22 via the Panamax lock daily. Furthermore, the transit reservation quotas have been adjusted to allow a maximum capacity of 30 vessels daily.

This schedule will enable customers to plan their voyages better and reduce waiting times for ships that do not have a transit schedule for each day.

The number of transits has been decreased to maintain a 44-foot draft, which is used by 70% of the ships passing through the canal. The draft has been decreased from its highest point of 50 feet due to drought restrictions, according to the ACP.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online