The Panama Canal on Friday began reducing the number of daily ship crossings as drought linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon pushed water levels in the canal’s reservoirs lower.
The Panama Canal Authority said the low levels in the two artificial lakes that supply the waterway had forced it to limit crossings.
The number of vessels allowed through the canal will be progressively reduced from 36 a day to 32 by mid-September.
The move comes as Panama faces a nationwide emergency over El Niño, which is altering weather patterns and contributing to higher global temperatures. This year’s phenomenon is expected to be the strongest since comparable records began about four decades ago.
The effects are already being felt across Central America, where severe drought has prompted Honduras and El Salvador to declare emergencies.
The restrictions could have wider implications for global shipping. The canal handles about 5 per cent of global maritime trade and around 40 per cent of US container traffic.
To conserve water, the canal authority has also lowered the maximum draft allowed for the largest vessels, limiting how deep they can sit in the water while transiting.
The latest restrictions echo those imposed in 2023, when another El Niño event forced the authority to reduce daily crossings to 22 vessels.
