Panama Canal Cuts Daily Ship Transits as El Niño Drought Bites
Operators will limit passages to 34 vessels a day from early September and 32 from mid-month after rainfall in the watershed fell 34 percent below the historical average.
Panama City2 min read
Last updated
The Panama Canal Authority announced it will reduce the number of ships allowed to transit the waterway starting in early September because of drought linked to a strengthening El Niño.
From September 4, daily transits will be capped at 34 vessels, down from the recent average of about 35. From September 15 the limit falls further to 32. The canal normally has capacity for around 40 crossings a day.
Rainfall across the canal watershed from May through August has been 34 percent below the historical average. Water inflows to the lakes that feed the locks are down 44 percent in the current hydrological year.
Gatun Lake and Lake Alajuela supply the water needed to operate the locks. Lower levels force operators to restrict both the number of transits and the maximum draft of larger vessels.
Canal administrator Ricaurte Vásquez said the current El Niño could last longer than previous episodes and that the authority is applying lessons from the severe droughts of 2023 and 2024. In those years daily transits were cut as low as 22 at the peak of restrictions.
The canal handles roughly 5 percent of global maritime trade and about 40 percent of U.S. container traffic. Any sustained reduction lengthens voyage times and raises costs for shippers who must either wait for slots or divert around Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope.
Earlier this year the authority had told reporters it expected to avoid transit limits in 2026 thanks to water-conservation measures introduced after the last drought. The new advisory reverses that assessment.
Draft restrictions already in place will also be adjusted. A 48-foot draft limit scheduled for late August has been extended, and further reductions are planned for the autumn.
El Niño typically brings drier conditions to Central America. Meteorological forecasts indicate the current event may continue into 2027, raising the possibility of additional constraints if rainfall remains below normal through the rest of the wet season.
Shippers and carriers are already reviewing schedules and booking strategies. The Panama Canal remains one of the most efficient routes between the Atlantic and Pacific, but repeated drought-driven restrictions have prompted some operators to explore longer-term alternatives.
