Representative image: Container ship passing through the Panama Canal in low water conditions. It is produced with artificial intelligence. Due to the lack
Representative image: Container ship passing through the Panama Canal in low water conditions. It is produced with artificial intelligence. Due to the lack of rainfall in the Panama Canal and the strengthening El Niño, it is planned to reduce the daily average ship passage to 29.5 starting from October. The draft plan represents a decrease of about 18 percent from the 36-ship average in August.
At the beginning of September, the channel management limited the capacity to first 34 and then 32-day passage. The fact that the rainfall in the basin between May and August was 34 percent below the historical average and water inflows were 44 percent below the historical average is shown as the main reason for the new restrictions.
The locks of the 82-kilometer canal connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific run on fresh water. The falling level of Gatun Lake limits both the number of daily locks that can be used and the allowable draft for large vessels. Lower draft may result in ships passing with less cargo or the cargo being transferred to other modes of transportation.
Limited booking capacity is driving up prices at priority pass auctions. In August, it was reported that some ships waited for days, with one container ship paying nearly $4 million to bypass the queue. Alternative routes increase time and fuel costs, especially in Asia-US east coast trade.
The 29.5 figure is based on the draft plan submitted to parliament; Application may vary depending on rainfall and lake levels. The critical issues for shipping companies will be the booking strategy, the possibility of load reduction and the total cost of using the Suez or Cape of Good Hope routes instead of the canal.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
