According to a Reuters report, the Panama Canal Authority said on the 5th that due to continuously declining water levels and deteriorating weather conditions that continue to put pressure on this important shipping route, it will again tighten draft restrictions for large vessels at the end of this month, but it is not expected to affect the daily number of vessel transits.
The Authority stated that vessels using the larger Neopanamax locks will have a maximum permitted draft of 48 feet starting August 26, which will be further tightened to 47.5 feet starting September 3. The relevant restrictions will remain in effect until further notice.
This is the second tightening within less than two weeks after the Authority lowered the maximum draft limit to 49 feet on July 24. Originally, it had planned to further tighten the draft to 48.5 feet on August 15, but now not only has the tightening been moved up, but the draft is also lower than originally planned.
Draft refers to the depth to which a vessel is submerged in water for full navigation. The Panama Canal setting a lower draft limit means that vessels may be forced to reduce their cargo load in order to pass through.
For a Neopanamax container ship, for every 1 foot the canal reduces the draft, the number of containers it can carry is forced to decrease by several hundred, which for shipping operators means increased operating costs.
The Authority stated that the decision to tighten draft limits is based on current water level changes in Gatun Lake and recent weather forecasts.
Gatun Lake provides the water needed for the operation of the Panama Canal locks, used to adjust the different water levels for vessels rising and lowering within the canal.
In addition, the Authority pointed out that the ongoing impact of the El Niño phenomenon may cause rainfall in Panama to continue decreasing, making the local climate drier and causing the canal’s water levels to keep declining.
Panama’s rainy season has already begun, but the current hydrological conditions in the catchment area still require additional water-saving measures to ensure the canal’s long-term sustainable operation.
The Authority stated that although it is tightening the draft for vessels using the Neopanamax locks, it has not currently reduced the number of vessels transiting through the Neopanamax or Panamax locks.
Nevertheless, the Authority warned that current weather conditions are changing faster than previously expected, and it does not rule out announcing further adjustments to the canal’s operational measures in the future.
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