El Niño Limits Panama Canal Traffic
The Panama Canal Authority has announced that it will impose a maximum limit on the number of daily transits starting in early September, due to forecasts of declining water levels resulting from the El Niño phenomenon. The canal will allow up to 34 ships to transit per day starting September 4, then reduce that number to 32 ships from September 15. Previously, the average was 35 ships per day, with a capacity of up to 40 ships. These measures come despite the Authority's reassurance in May that it had no plans to restrict ship transits. However, a 34% decrease in rainfall since May has led to a 44% reduction in inflows to the reservoirs, with warnings that the intensification of El Niño could undermine the long-term sustainability of water levels and supplies.
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