Panama Canal nears normality after drought crisis

He Panama Canal The number of ships that transit its waters daily will increase again, the maritime authorities reported this Tuesday, which is gradually approaching the volume of ships it received before 2023, the year in which it suffered a crisis due to a shortage of water.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) notified shipping companies that starting July 22, up to 34 ships a day will be able to pass through the Panamanian route, about five ships less than the average before the drought.

The measure was taken due to greater availability of water “as a result of the arrival of the rainy season“said the ACP in a statement.

The Panama Canal, through which 6% of world maritime trade passes, is recovering after suffering a sharp reduction in water levels in 2023 due to the lack of rain caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

From an average of 39 ships per day, the figure was reduced to 22 at the worst moment of the crisis at the end of last year.

Since then, the canal has been increasing the number of transits thanks to an increase in water levels in the artificial lakes that supply the road for its operation.

Unlike the Suez Canalthe Panamanian highway works with rainwater obtained from the lakes Gatun and Jewelry. For every ship that passes, about 200 million liters of fresh water are discharged.

The administration also announced this Tuesday that starting Saturday, vessels with a draft of up to 14 meters (46 feet) will be able to use the route.

In 2023, the interoceanic waterway, which can offer a maximum draft of 15.2 meters (45 feet), will reduce the measurement to 13.4 meters (44 feet).

The restrictions on the canal, whose main users are the United States, China and Japan, caused less transit of merchandise through the Central American country.

In fiscal year 2023, 14,080 ships with 511 million tons of cargo transited through the Panamanian route, that is, 159 ships and 7 million tons less than in the previous year.

In the last fiscal year the Panama Canalwhich contributes 6% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, obtained income of US$ 3,344 million from tolls and other services.