The Panama Canal Authority announced that it will restrict the daily traffic of ships to 34 starting in September, two fewer than currently, in addition to the reduction in charges already in force, due to the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
The canal administrator, which handles between 3% and 5% of world trade, stated in a press release that from September 3 “the number of daily slots available at the Neopanamax locks [the expansion] will be adjusted to nine,” from an average of 10, “while at the Panamax locks [the century-old ones] they will be 25,” which totals 34 passages per day from that date.
From September 15, “the number of daily slots available at the Panamax locks will be adjusted to 23,” which added to the nine Neopanamax totalizes 32 passages, the canal administration said, noting that the canal links the Atlantic with the Pacific and has the United States as its main user.
El Niño is a global climate phenomenon that arises from variations in winds and in sea-surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean.
With this natural phenomenon, which returns every two to seven years, the surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific warm up, which for months causes substantial changes in wind regimes, pressure and precipitation on a global scale.
The severe drought this year could extend until 2027, according to forecasts.
