Prolonged drought extends Panama Canal restricted operations until September 2
Freight delays mount as authorities extend caps on vessel passages and drafts, citing lack of water
Delays in cargo ship passages through the Panama Canal are set to grow even longer after drought-stricken canal authorities yesterday extended their plan to restrict the number of vessels passing through the vital link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The canal had previously announced that unprecedented drought in the region had left it without enough water to operate its locks, so it had restricted vessel passages and drafts from August 8 to 21. The latest update extends those “Condition 3” regulations until September 2.
The policy applies to both the Panamax Locks and the Neopanamax locks, according to the letter from Boris Moreno Vásquez, the canal’s vice president for operations. It comes at the same time that the facility also announced delays for traffic through the West Lane of Gatun Locks, due to scheduled maintenance work.
The disruption has already led to a backlog of over 150 ships currently stuck in a holding pattern, according to an analysis from Proxima, a supply chain and procurement consulting firm.