The reduction of the draft and daily vessel transits, which are now causing congestion in the Panama Canal, are water-saving measures that are applied while seeking how to guarantee the resource in a scenario of growth of both the road and the Panamanian population, both dependent on the same water sources.
“133 ships were waiting to cross the Channel, 65 with reserves and 68 without.” The figure has ranged between 120 and 130 ships throughout this week, when it is normal for there to be up to 90 ships on standby,” the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) reported.
Since July 30 and until further notice, the daily transit of ships has been limited to 32 out of a maximum of 38, and the draft is at 44 feet out of a maximum of 50.
“They are measures to save and try to fill the reservoirs to survive the entire dry season 2024, which is expected to be strong given the influence of El Nino,” Erick Córdoba, the manager of Water of the ACP, explained during a radio interview with Panama en Directo.
“The Panama Canal, a relevant world trade route that moves 500 to 510 million tons of cargo each year, manages this congestion with modifications to its reservation system, and the restrictive measures do not affect the expansion since they maintain their usual average of 10 daily transits,” Córdoba said.
THE CLIMATE, THE BUSINESS, AND THE POPULATION
The dry season in Panama runs from December to April, but in 2023, it was extended until May. This caused the artificial lakes of Gatun (1913) and Alhajuela (1935), which supply the Canal and about 60% of the country’s population, to fall to critical levels.
And the typical rains of the time have not fallen in the basin of the interoceanic route.
“Alhajuela is projected to reach its maximum level at the end of the year, but in Gatun, with the volume of ship transit added to drinking water (for human consumption), I do not think we will fill it,” Córdoba said.
“The issue is that every year, with the growth of the population, the growth of trade, and the growth of the canal business, which is the transit of ships, the use of water will continue to increase. Growth is not sustainable with current conditions,” Córdoba said.
