{"id":4411,"date":"2026-07-23T15:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikhailinvest.com\/panama-canal-braces-for-el-nino-announcing-first-transit-restrictions\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T15:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:16:12","slug":"panama-canal-braces-for-el-nino-announcing-first-transit-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikhailinvest.com\/ru\/panama-canal-braces-for-el-nino-announcing-first-transit-restrictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama Canal braces for El Ni\u00f1o, announcing first transit restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"dreamstime_xs_35987358\"\n

Photo: \u00a9 Richard Pross, Dreamstime.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is to reintroduce transit restrictions as it prepares for the annual El Ni\u00f1o weather phenomenon, which this year is predicted to be one of the most severe on record.<\/p>\n

Canal administrator Ricaurte V\u00e1squez said yesterday the probability of a severe El Ni\u00f1o had increased significantly, from 25% in April to 81% currently, and as a result, ACP was \u201cready to implement preventive measures based on lessons learned during the 2023\u20132024 El Ni\u00f1o event\u201d.<\/p>\n

Dr V\u00e1squez warned of \u201clikely capacity restrictions \u2013 not only in terms of draught limitations but also through reductions in the number of daily booking slots\u201d.<\/p>\n

The last period in which an El Ni\u00f1o-induced drought across Panama was from mid-2023 to mid-2024, and saw canal capacity curtailed by up to 50% at times, with daily transits halved, from the design capacity of 36 a day to 18.<\/p>\n

However, Dr Vasquez emphasised that the \u201ctiming and scope of any similar restrictions will ultimately depend on market conditions\u201d.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, ACP has already begun capacity restrictions, with the cancellation this week of Period 3 auctions at its Panamax locks.<\/p>\n

ACP has a three-tiered slot booking system: Period 1 slots can be booked up to a year in advance; Period 2 slots open 21 days before transit; while Period 3 slots can be booked just 48-96 hours before transit.<\/p>\n

Cancelling Period 3 bookings for the old Panamax locks effectively reduces total daily transit capacity from 36 to 34.<\/p>\n

Container shipping lines, particularly those on the Asia-US east coast trade, where the Panama Canal is a key artery \u2013 have already begun to respond. MSC announced on Monday a $100 per teu Panama Canal surcharge on all shipments transiting the waterway from 18 August, citing \u201coperational constraints and increased costs associated with Panama Canal transit, and in order to maintain the reliability and quality of our services\u201d.<\/p>\n

CMA CGM will introduce a similar surcharge for Asia to Caribbean and Latin American destinations on 10 August.<\/p>\n

Mathew Dibb, director of the Fleet Weather division at Polestar Global, explained to The Loadstar Podcast <\/em>how El Ni\u00f1o\u2019s effect in the Pacific has a direct impact on weather in the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do tend to notice it\u2019s drier than normal in the Caribbean, and that can have some pretty big impacts \u2013 it was in 2023\/2024 that El Ni\u00f1o meant there was less rainfall over Gatun Lake, which is the main supply of water for ships transiting the Panama Canal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feeds the water so the vessels can go through the locks. And with less rain, they had to change the amount of frequency of ships that could pass through, as well as restricting draughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the ships couldn\u2019t have so deep a draught, so that changed things \u2013 something shipping companies may have to plan for,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, ACP noted that between October last year and June \u2013 the first nine months of its financial year \u2013 it had averaged 35 transits a day, with a total of 10,726 transits, a 5.2% increase on the 10,191 recorded during the previous financial period.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaily transit auctions remain an important tool that provide customers with an additional opportunity to secure transit reservations when standard booking options are unavailable, or when operational flexibility is required,\u201d the authority said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrecautionary measures are under consideration for the first time after nearly two consecutive years in which no draught restrictions were necessary, thanks to an abundant availability of water in the canal\u2019s reservoirs.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeavy rainfall throughout 2025 and an unusually wet 2026 dry season allowed the canal to maintain above-normal water storage levels in its lakes,\u201d ACP added.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo: \u00a9 Richard Pross, Dreamstime.com 23 July 2026 The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is to reintroduce transit restrictions as it prepares for the annual El Ni\u00f1o weather phenomenon, which this year is predicted to be one of the most severe on record. Canal administrator Ricaurte V\u00e1squez said yesterday the probability of a severe El Ni\u00f1o 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\u00a9 Richard Pross, Dreamstime.com 23 July 2026 The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is to reintroduce transit restrictions as it prepares for the annual El Ni\u00f1o weather phenomenon, which this year is predicted to be one of the most severe on record. 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