The number of ships authorized to transit the Panama Canal will be reduced starting in September, due to decreased rainfall caused by El Niño, announced the independent public agency that operates this vital waterway, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Starting September 3, the daily number of transits will be reduced from 36 to 34 ships of all types, and then, on September 15, to 32, according to a statement from the Panama Canal Authority (Autoridad del Canal de Panamá, ACP).
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Approximately 5% of the volume of goods transported by sea worldwide passes through the 80-kilometer-long canal; among the countries that are its primary users, the United States and China stand out.
Due to the El Niño phenomenon, “rainfall in the canal’s hydrographic basin is lower than predicted,” and “additional measures will be required to support the long-term sustainability” of its operation, the Authority explained.
The Canal operates thanks to rainwater stored in the Gatún and Alajuela reservoirs, whose levels have dropped due to “the adverse effects of the El Niño phenomenon.”
The ACP had already implemented other measures months earlier, such as reducing water intake by ships.
In 2023, El Niño had forced the management agency to reduce daily crossings from 38 to 22, as the lakes’ water levels were very low.
El Niño is a natural phenomenon that occurs every two to seven years. The surface waters of the central and eastern Pacific near the equator warm up, leading for months to significant changes in wind patterns, pressure patterns, and rainfall on a global scale.
This year, most meteorological models predict that the phenomenon will be exceptionally strong, if not the strongest ever recorded.
Further north in Central America, the Honduran government placed nearly 80% of the country on alert on Wednesday, including the capital, Tegucigalpa, due to the drought caused by El Niño.
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Source: KYPE
