Panama Canal continues to restrict ship traffic

SGGP 08/26/2023 07:06

Reuters reported that Ilya Espino, deputy director of the Panama Canal Authority, said that restrictions on daily traffic and maximum water depth for ships entering and leaving the canal (applied since the beginning of this year) are expected to remain in place for at least another 10 months due to the prolonged drought.

Espino said the extension of the restrictions would help the Panama Canal maintain water levels before the next rainy season, which is currently the busiest season for the canal as Christmas approaches and cargo moves quickly.

In an effort to ease the congestion, which had exceeded 160 vessels earlier this month, the canal authority recently opened two additional slots per day for unbooked vessels. This has reduced the backlog to 115 vessels as of Aug. 24.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/kenh-dao-panama-tiep-tuc-han-che-luong-tau-qua-lai-post703101.html