Drought in the Panama region has created a shortage of water in the Panama canal that has forced the authorities to reduce the volume of shipping traffic through this vital waterway.

The Panamanian Canal Authority (ACP) has limited the largest ships passing through the canal for the fifth time during this drought season.  Every time a vessel goes through the lock system in the canal it uses some 200 million litres of water drawn from the Alhajuela and Gatun lakes.  The water level in these lakes has now fallen significantly. 

The last major drought in the region was in 2019.  The ACP says that historically the drought cycle has been every five years but they are now becoming more frequent.  It described the 2023 drought as ‘unprecedented’. 

Under normal conditions, the canal operates with a draught of 15.24 metres. However, in early May, the ACP adjusted the draught limits for neo-Panamax locks, to a draught of up to 13.56 metres, with a further reduction to 13.4 metres on 30 May. The draught restrictions reduce the volume of cargo that vessels can carry through the key waterway, and the ACP said a ‘limited number’ of ships had had to lower their draught to comply with restrictions.