by Priya Radünzel, SeaNewsEditor
Update: 06.08.2024
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced in a recent press release that water levels at Gatun Lake are forecast to improve in the upcoming weeks.
Accordingly, the Canal has raised the maximum authorised draft allowed for vessels transiting the Neopanamax Locks.
The new draft level, which took immediate effect on 5 August, is 14.94 m (49.0 feet).
Earlier, the Canal had also announced an increase in the number of transits to 35 as of 5 August.
The new measures are in line with previous projections, as operations are expected to return to normal as early as next month.
Original article: 01.08.2024
Although the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has yet to make an official announcement, its Deputy Administrator Ilya Espino said it expects to increase the number of daily transits to 36 in September.
Earlier-than-expected rainfall and the authority's projected water levels in Gatun Lake have renewed optimism about the canals' operations.
According to ACP's latest projection, the lake's water levels will exceed 86 ft by October.
The Canal's already improving water levels have allowed it to ease drought-related restrictions imposed last year on ships moving through its waterways.
"Now (the operation) is practically back to normal. We have 34 transits (per day) and on August 5 we will increase to 35 transits and ... in September we'll be able to increase to 36," Deputy Administrator Ilya Espino told Reuters.
The maximum sustainable capacity of the Panama Canal (Panamax and Neopanamax locks) is approximately 36-38 vessels per day. Usually, during the dry season, the ACP would increase draft restrictions but maintain the number of transit slots.
However, a record dry season in 2023 drove the number of transit slots down to 18 in February 2024 and increased waiting times significantly on either side of the Canal.
Given the favourable conditions and projections, the ACP hopes to adjust only the draft limitation in the upcoming summer, not the number of transit slots.
