Panama Canal authorities set restrictions on cargo ship travel due to unprecedented drought

As one of the most famous commercial trading routes in the world contends with a prolonged dry season, consumer goods may become inevitably delayed and more expensive. 

The Panama Canal, responsible for moving 80% of global trade has been working on implementing practices to improve water efficiency by researching long-term solutions to changes in climate after experiencing a bout of drought between 2019 and 2020. 

However, the current drought recurrence and severity has no historical precedence, officials announced earlier this month. 

The water levels of the lakes the canal depends on are now "close to the minimum," Vice President of Operations for the canal told CBS. 

The Panama Canal Authority has restrictions in place for at least the next ten months on the number of vessels allowed to make their way across the canal as a direct result of low water levels at Gatún Lake, one of the three locks that make up the canal. 

The restrictions, put into place earlier this year, have caused an accumulation of ships waiting to pass, Reuters reported. Ships have been forced to lighten their load or find alternate routes in light of the constraints. 

The ACP opened two more passage slots per day for non-booked ships after a traffic jam comprised of 160 vessels was reported earlier in the month.

Instead of offering the standard 23 booking slots for Panamax lock entry, they will only offer 14 booking slots made up of 10 slots for super-sized vessels and 4 slots for regular-sized vessels, ACP announced Tuesday. 

Ships traveling through Neopanamax locks will not be impacted by the measure change. 

There are 64 booked and 68 non-booked vessels in the queue waiting to transit as of Friday night. The average wait time for unbooked expeditions this month is 9 to 11 days. 

Shipping companies have expressed concern over the implication delays may have on global commerce if the drought continues. Especially, Danish company Maersk who is the largest single user of the canal, CBS reported.

Managing director Antonio Dominguez said he worries that prolonged drought could lead to delays and increased costs for shipping, potentially affecting Christmas merchandise and other consumer goods and making things "more expensive."

"Everywhere, you have climate change impacting global commerce and we need to do something about it," Dominguez shared with CBS.

What is the Panama Canal?

The Panama Canal is a channel, or interoceanic highway that connects North America and South America by water, according to the ACP.

The canal spans 50 miles connecting both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. An average trip across the canal is 8 to 10 hours by ship, ACP reported.

The canal works through a lock system, or compartments with an entrance and an exit. “Water locks” raise the ship from either ocean to the level of Gatún Lake, which is 26 meters above sea level. 

Each set of locks is named after the town where it was built, Gatún on the Atlantic side and Pedro Miguel and Miraflores on the Pacific, according to ACP. 

Gravity from Gatún Lake is what helps raise and lower ships in each set of locks. 

The water discharges into the locks through a main sewer system, which extends below the lock chambers from the lateral walls and the central wall, ACP reported. 

The dream of connecting the two oceans through the Isthmus of Panama dates back to the start of the sixteenth century. 

It was not until 1880 that French Universal Company of the Interoceanic Canal of Panama took the initiative to make the dream a reality. The work was abandoned nine years later. 

The United States did not begin to work on the canal until 1904. Since it’s 1914 inauguration, 1.1 million transits have occurred along the Panama Canal route.

The U.S., China and Japan are the top three countries utilizing the canal based on cargo flow from data collected by the ACP in 2020.

Future of Panama Canal unclear amidst climate change

As the planet contends with extreme weather and rising sea levels as the climate crisis continues, long term viability of the canal is at stake. 

"We are climate dependent so this issue of climate change to us is real," canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez Morales told CBS. 

In an attempt to tackle the current challenges with proactive measures, canal authorities are working on managing saltwater intrusion in the Gatun reservoir, a crucial water source for over 50% of the country’s population, according to ACP. 

The canal has also maintained a draft of 44 feet in the last couple of months in an attempt to mitigate unpredictable weather patterns and continue to ensure reliable and sustainable service, ACP announced in July. 

Conserving the water basin, forest cover and exploring the possibility of developing a logistics corridor to diversify cargo handling options within the country are some environmental initiatives the canal authority will also be prioritizing, ACP reported. 

“We have successfully administered the Canal as Panamanians, expanded the locks, and ensured reliability. Now, in this third stage, as we shape the Canal for the future, we are keen to identify the best opportunities for Panama under the current circumstances,” Vásquez shared.