Before the Ever Max ship, laden with lava lamps, sofas, Halloween costumes and artificial Christmas trees, could make its maiden voyage across the Panama Canala historic drought forced it to reduce its weight by unloading hundreds of containers.
Weather-related outages denied the vessel, owned by the Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marinethe opportunity on August 1 to set a record for transporting the largest number of containers through the maritime shortcut that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
The Panama Canal Authority has reduced maximum ship weights and daily crossings in an attempt to conserve water.
Shipping experts fear such events could become the new normal, as rainfall deficits in the world’s fifth-wettest country highlight weather risks affecting the shipping industry that moves 80% of trade. world.
Ship owners have the option of hauling less cargo, switching to alternative routes that can add thousands of miles to the trip, or dealing with long lines to cross.
The restrictions are already driving up shipping prices between China and the United States by as much as 36% amid rising sea temperatures.
“A caution flag needs to be flown because temperatures are well above normal“, said Drew Lernerfounder and senior agricultural meteorologist of world weatherwhose clients include global commodity traders.
Canal operators are walking a tightrope as they work to manage the disruption to maritime trade and prepare for what is shaping up to be an even drier period next year, it said. peter sandChief Analyst at Air & Ocean Freight Rate Benchmarking Platform xeneta.
More than 14,000 ships crossed the canal in 2022. Container ships are the most common users of the Panama Canal, transporting more than 40% of the consumer goods traded between Northeast Asia and the US East Coast.
Ships bound for the United States stuck in the bottlenecks are carrying Barbie dolls, auto parts, solar panels, water treatment equipment, diabetes test kits and other goods, according to data from Steve Ferreira, chief executive of a company that audits shipping invoices.
The restrictions on the canal began earlier this year affecting some 170 countries and virtually all types of products, including soybeans and liquefied natural gas from the United States, copper and fresh cherries from Chile and beef from Brazil.
Bulk carriers carrying commodities from corn to iron ore, as well as tankers carrying oil, fuel, gas and chemicals, have also been affected. Some energy companies are diverting ships loaded with coal and liquefied natural gas to the Suez Canal.
ocean temperature
The El Niño weather phenomenon, associated with warming water surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, is contributing to Panama’s drought.
The area around the canal is experiencing one of the two driest years in the country’s 143-year record, data from the canal authority and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Rainfall measurements around the area are 30% to 50% below normal.
Water levels in Gatun Lake, the main rain-fed reservoir that floats ships through the Panama Canal lock system, have remained below normal despite buildup from the current season. of rains.
A possible early start to the dry season of Panama and higher-than-average temperatures typical of major El Niño events in the country could increase evaporation from Gatun Lake and result in near-record low water levels by March or April 2024, said Steven Paton of STRI.
“It’s the perfect storm of eventshe added patonwho has monitored rainfall patterns in the Central American country for more than three decades.
The frequency of the main drought patterns of The boy has increased significantly over the past 25 of the channel’s 109-year history. If that continues, “it will become increasingly difficult for (the Panama Canal) to ensure that larger ships can passPaton maintained.
Support for more cuts
Canal operators have lowered ship weight limits to accommodate the shallower water depth, posing a problem for large vessels like the Ever Max.
The ship was built to transport more than 8,650 12-meter cargo boxes. She made it to the Pacific side of the canal over the limit even though she was only carrying the equivalent of 7,373 containers.
The ship unloaded about 700 containers on trains, recovered them on the Atlantic side and continued on to the US East Coast, according to the Canal Authority and Eikon ship tracking. The owner of the boat Evergreen MarineHe declined to comment.
Canal operators have also reduced the number of daily ship crossings to 32 from around 36 during normal operations, as each crossing requires around 50 million gallons of water, only a fraction of which is recycled.
Some shipping executives are bracing for further reductions later this year, noting that in 2020 a less severe drought led canal operators to reduce crossings to 27 a day.
“Anyone shipping products around the world should pay attention to potential disruptions due to climate change.”, said Brian Bourke, global commercial director of SEKO Logistics. “The Panama Canal is just the latest example.”.
Source: Reuters
Source: Gestion
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