Fear that the weather phenomenon El Niño will lower the water level in Gatun Lake is now causing the canal administration to further tighten requirements for ships’ draft.
Effective from August 24, the maximum draft is reduced to 48 feet, and from September 3 further to 47.5 feet – which corresponds to 14.48 meters.
The new restrictions come shortly after the next restriction takes effect on August 15, when the maximum draft is reduced from 49 to 48.5 feet.
As a consequence, the largest container ships of the Neopanamax type will, from August 15, no longer have the possibility to pass the canal fully loaded.
The canal administration emphasizes that the restrictions do not change the number of ships that can pass the canal daily – which is just over 38 ships.
The upcoming restrictions may, however, force container shipping companies to distribute the containers across more ships, which will pull capacity out of the market and lead to rising rates.
Although the restrictions are becoming increasingly extensive, the situation is nevertheless far from as serious as in 2023-2024, when the number of ships that could pass the canal fell to 18 – 22 ships per day, which created major problems for global supply chains.
-mauh
