Panama Canal to cut number of ships passing through due to El Niño

Panama Canal’s operator is to cut the number of vessels passing through the key waterway due to low rainfall caused by El Niño.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) told shipping firms on Thursday that 32 vessels a day will be able to pass through it from 15 September, compared to 36 currently.

El Niño, a pattern of periodical sea surface warming, affects weather systems globally. This year is expected to be particularly strong, with its effects made more intense by climate change.

The shipping industry is already dealing with severe disruptions due to the Iran war causing a large reduction in the number of vessels passing through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

The ACP said the measures were being put in place to preserve service reliability and safeguard water resources for human consumption.

It added that despite the arrival of the rainy season in Central America and some water-saving measures already being put in place in the canal, additional action was needed “to support the long-term sustainability of transit operations”.

The new measures will be phased in from 3 September.

The Panama Canal greatly reduces the time and distance ships have to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

About 14,000 ships per year use the artificial waterway – which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

As well as being a crucial route for global trade, it is also a key source of income for Panama, bringing in about $3bn (£2.2bn) a year.

In 2023, the ACP cut the number of vessels using the waterway during the last El Niño period after Panama was hit with its driest October since records began in 1950.

Since then, the authority has introduced measures to cut the amount of water it uses.

Many forecasts suggest that this year’s El Niño, which is a naturally occurring pattern, could be one of the strongest ever recorded, with disruptions to weather, food supplies and economies.