Ports

Panama Canal Lifts Neopanamax Transits to 10 Daily as Water Levels Recover

The Panama Canal Authority will increase Neopanamax-lock transits to 10 per day starting October 15, boosting combined daily capacity across both lock types to 33 vessels. The expansion follows improved Gatun Lake levels driven by near-average rainfall and ongoing conservation efforts at the locks. Effective immediately, the authority restored the maximum authorized draft for Neopanamax vessels to 49 feet, allowing larger cargo loads through the waterway. A 10,000-TEU containership loses approximately 450 TEUs of capacity for each foot of draft restriction. The changes represent the latest relaxation of drought-related constraints that had previously limited daily transits to 32 ships. Despite the relief measures, the canal watershed remains in deficit. The authority emphasized that only reserved transit slots guarantee crossing dates, with unreserved vessels potentially facing indefinite delays.