The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) reported on Wednesday that it will once again increase reservation spaces in locks in the coming weeks and the draft of ships transiting the interoceanic passage, thanks to the recent rains recorded in the area.
Two weeks ago, the ACP announced that in July it was going to increase the number of ships authorized to cross the canal to 34 and its draft to 14.02 meters, due to the increase in the level of Gatun Lake, which supplies it with water, thanks to the start of the rainy season in the area.
The Old Town of Panama, a tourist attraction
Panama’s Old Town is one of the most visited places by tourists in this Central American country, after the Panama Canal, but the prices of restaurants and hotels in the area have skyrocketed.
It will now increase the number of reservation spots at the Panamax and Neopanamax locks to 35 starting August 5 and the draft for ships through the Neopanamax locks to 14.33 meters, effective immediately, and to 14.63 meters, starting July 11, according to a notice posted on its website.
The ACP justified the measures by “the recent rainfall in the Canal basin”, through which approximately 5% of global trade passes.
As a result of the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon, the interoceanic waterway was forced last year to reduce the draft of ships and reduce daily transits, which generated an accumulation of ships at both ends of the waterway and some shipping companies. They will look for alternative routes to move their goods.
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