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☆ Panama Canal says shipping rebound is underway after record drought
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowAfter two years of record drought conditions amid a challenging El Nino weather system which decimated vessel transits, the Panama Canal is experiencing a trade rebound. The U.S. is the largest user of the Panama Canal, with total U.S. commodity export and import containers representing about 73% of Panama Canal traffic, and 40% of all U.S. container traffic traveling through the Panama Canal every year. Despite competition from the Suez Canal, Vásquez predicts that the Panama Canal will recover to pre-drought volumes, with a focus on larger vessels and energy-related trade. The Panama Canal drought began in late 2022 and was described as the worst in the canal's history by January 2024. The Panama Canal Authority reported a 29% drop in vessel transits during fiscal year 2024.

Persons: Ricaurte Vásquez, Vásquez Organizations: Panama Canal Authority, CNBC, Panama Canal, Maersk, Port, International Longshoremen's Association Locations: Nino, Panama, U.S, Gatun, Suez, Port of Panama, Asia, Gulf Coasts

Ricaurte Vásquez Morales is a man obsessed with water. An app on his phone displays the fluctuating level of Lake Gatún, the artificial reservoir that is the centerpiece of the Panama Canal system. Mr. Vásquez Morales is the administrator of the Panama Canal, which is both the economic heart of his isthmus nation and a central artery for global trade. Last year, a drought dropped the lake to critical levels, prompting canal authorities to limit traffic. At the worst point, in December, only 22 ships a day were allowed to pass through the canal, down from the usual 36 to 38.

Persons: Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, ”, Vásquez Morales Organizations: Atlantic Locations: Gatún, Panama, Asia, East Coast, United, Central American

☆ Panama Canal Drought Slows Cargo Traffic
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

PANAMA CANAL Colón Atlantic Ocean Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Ship traffic Pacific Ocean PANAMA CANAL Colón Lake Alajuela Atlantic Ocean Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic PANAMA CANAL Colón Lake Alajuela Atlantic Ocean Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic PANAMA CANAL Atlantic Ocean Colón Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Ship traffic Pacific Ocean PANAMA CANAL Atlantic Ocean Colón Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic PANAMA CANAL Atlantic Ocean Colón Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic Source: MariTrace Ship movements from Jan. 19 to Jan. 21, 2024. Panama Canal Drought Slows Cargo TrafficThe lake that allows the Panama Canal to function recorded the lowest water level ever for the start of a dry season this year, which means that vastly fewer ships can pass through the canal. The Panama Canal Authority has reduced daily traffic through the narrow corridor by nearly 40 percent compared with last year. “The fact that the Panama Canal operates on freshwater is a major disadvantage compared to other water routes,” said Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, the administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, in a video address last month. But it may not be enough to meet the pressing demand for cargo traffic through the Panama Canal.

Persons: El, Jan, ”, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Gatún, Joshua Tewksbury, Gloria Arrocha Paz, Arrocha Paz Organizations: PANAMA Ship, Panama Canal Authority, Maersk, Panama Canal, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Demand, Times, Smithsonian Tropical Research Locations: PANAMA, Lake Panama, Panama City PANAMA, Lake Panama City PANAMA, Panama, East Coast, United States, Northeast Asia, South America, Tewksbury, Indio, Gatún, Panama City, Panama Canal Authority, What’s

☆ Panama Canal drought hits new crisis level with nearly half of vessel traffic targeted for cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA - SEPTEMBER 22: The container ship Maersk Bogor is guided by a tugboat as it prepares to enter the Miraflores locks while transiting the Panama Canal on September 22, 2023 in Panama City, Panama. The Panama Canal Authority is continuing to restrict the number of vessels that pass through the Panama Canal locks as drought has caused water levels at Gatun Lake to drop. Over one hundred ships are waiting to transit the canal and the backup could delay goods heading to the United States for the holiday season. The Panama Canal is popular for East Coast trade because it is faster than other options. Traveling through the Panama Canal takes only 35 days.

Persons: Justin Sullivan, Adil Ashiq, Alan Baer, Baer, Jon Davis, Davis, Ashiq, Paul Brashier Organizations: PANAMA CITY, The Panama Canal, Port, CNBC Supply Chain, Panama Canal Authority, East, Panama Canal, MarineTraffic, USA, CNBC, U.S, ITS Logistics Locations: PANAMA, Bogor, Miraflores, Panama, Panama City, The Panama, Colon, Caribbean, United States, Cape Horn, South America, East, Charleston, El Nino, East Coast, Shenzhen, China, Miami , Florida, Suez, North America, U.S, West Coast, Asia, Gulf

☆ Panama Canal to slash booking slots due to drought over coming months
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Aris Martinez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPANAMA CITY, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The Panama Canal, one of the world's main maritime trade routes, will further reduce daily ship crossings in the coming months due to a severe drought, the authorities managing the canal said late on Monday, increasing shipping costs. Booking slots will be cut to 25 per day starting Nov. 3 from an already reduced 31 per day, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said in a client advisory, and will be gradually reduced further over the next three months to 18 slots from Feb. 1. In recent months, the ACP has imposed various passage restrictions to conserve scarce water, including cutting vessel draft and daily passage authorizations. It also said delays for some gas transporters were at record highs in Panama, pushing up the cost of shipping liquefied gas from the U.S.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Eli Moreno, Brendan O'Boyle, Isabel Woodford, Josie Kao Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Panama Canal Authority, U.S . Energy, Administration, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, PANAMA, Gatun Lake

☆ Panama Canal slashes the number of ships allowed through — drought means there isn't enough water in the channel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Panama Canal Authority has further restricted the number of boats that can cross per day. Traffic restrictions in August caused a backlog of hundreds of ships waiting to cross. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Panama Canal Authority further reduced the number of boats that can transit through the strategic waterway, which has been hit by an intense drought. Unlike the Suez Canal, which relies on seawater, the Panama Canal uses freshwater from an artificial lake to supply its waterway. AdvertisementAdvertisementBecause of this, the canal authority has had to ration the transit through the Panama Canal locks, per the AP.

Persons: —, Avance Gas, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Vásquez, France24 Organizations: Panama Canal Authority, Service, Avance, French Locations: Panama, Suez, France

Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Aris Martinez Acquire Licensing RightsSept 12 (Reuters) - The Panama Canal could further reduce the maximum number of vessel transits authorized per day if a drought that has hit the waterway this year continues, its administrator said on Tuesday. In a move to ease the bottleneck of ships waiting, the canal has recently changed its reservation system to allow more non-booked vessels to pass and to give priority to the ships waiting the longest. The head of the Panama Canal Authority, Ricaurte Vasquez, said the waterway would opt for reducing daily transits if needed, before planning any further cut to authorized vessel draft, which affects shippers the most. PROLONGED DROUGHTVasquez said that even though this drought has not been the most severe Panama has ever seen, it could be very long.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Vasquez, Ricaurte Vasquez, Marianna Parraga, Gary McWilliams, Timothy Gardner Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, Aris, Panama Canal Authority, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, Pacific

☆ Panama Canal water levels at historic lows, restrictions to remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bahamian LOS ANGELES SPIRIT crude oil tanker is pictured during its transit in the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama March 10, 2023. The authority that manages the canal added in a statement that this week's ship traffic represents a "normal" level for this season. It noted that a month before the end of its 2023 fiscal year, the canal's total vessel crossings already total nearly 800 more that what the canal authority's budget had forecast. Each vessel passing through the 50-mile (80-km) trans-oceanic waterway uses some 51 million gallons (193 million litres) of water from the lake. They argue that a potential early start to Panama's dry season and hotter-than-average temperatures could increase evaporation and result in near-record low water levels by April.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Eli Moreno, Brendan O'Boyle, Marianna Parraga, David Alire Garcia, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Aris, PANAMA CITY, Pacific, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, PANAMA

[1/2] Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. The Panama Canal Authority has reduced maximum ship weights and daily ship crossings in a bid to conserve water. Container ships are the most common users of the Panama Canal and transport more than 40% of consumer goods traded between Northeast Asia and the U.S. East Coast. Some shipping executives are bracing for more reductions later this year, noting that in 2020 a less severe drought prompted canal operators to reduce crossings to 27 per day. "The Panama Canal is just the latest example."

Persons: Aris Martinez, Max, Drew Lerner, Peter Sand, Steve Ferreira, STRI's Steven Paton, Paton, Brian Bourke, Lisa Baertlein, Marianna Parraga, Elida Moreno, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Deepa Babington Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, ANGELES, Evergreen Marine, Pacific, Panama Canal Authority, Northeast, U.S ., Smithsonian Tropical Research, El Nino, Central American, Canal Authority, SEKO Logistics, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, HOUSTON, China, U.S, Northeast Asia, U.S . East Coast . U.S, United States, Chile, Brazil, Suez, Gatun Lake, El, U.S . East Coast, Los Angeles, Houston, Copenhagen

☆ 'This is going to get worse before it gets better': Panama Canal pileup due to drought reaches 154 vessels
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A ship navigates through the Panama Canal in the area near the Americas' Bridge in Panama City on April 24, 2023. The Panama Canal is a critical trade link for U.S. shippers heading to Gulf and East Coast ports. The U.S. is the largest user of the Panama Canal, with total U.S. commodity export and import containers representing about 73% of Panama Canal traffic. The massive pileup is a result of water conservation measures the Panama Canal Authority deployed in late July due to drought. West Coast ports saw a decrease of 38.3% in July trade, and top East and Gulf Coast ports processed an increase of 46.4%.

Persons: Luis Acosta, Max, Adil Ashiq, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Ashiq, Descartes, Stephen Lamar Organizations: Afp, Getty, Panama Canal Authority, Labs, Planet Labs, PCA, Port, MarineTraffic, American Apparel & Footwear Association Locations: Panama, Americas, Panama City, Gulf, East Coast, U.S, Pacific, Port of Balboa, Port of Savannah, North America, Gatun, Coast, West Coast

☆ U.S. trade dominates Panama Canal traffic. 'Severe' drought is threatening the long-term future of the century-old shipping route
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Forty percent of all U.S. container traffic travels through the Panama Canal every year, which in all, moves roughly $270 billion cargo annually. "The U.S. is the main the main source and destination of our traffic," said Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, administrator of the Panama Canal Administrator. The Panama Canal is popular for East Coast trade because it is faster than other options. Traveling through the Panama Canal, which is more expensive, takes only 35 days. The U.S. is the largest country to move energy commodities through the Panama Canal, including natural gas.

Persons: Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Vásquez, Luis Acosta Organizations: Gulf, Panama Canal, East, Agriculture Transportation Coalition, CNBC, LNG Allies, Panama, Afp, Getty, Panama Canal Authority Locations: Panama, East Coast, U.S, Shenzhen, China, Miami , Florida, Suez, New Orleans, Mobile , Alabama, Colon province, Panama City

CNN —An “unprecedented drought” is affecting the Panama Canal’s water supply and leading authorities to impose surcharges and weight limits on ships traversing the key global trade route, according to the Panama Canal Authority. Ships move through the Panama Canal through a lock system, which uses water from several freshwater reservoirs to float the massive cargo vessels overland. But Panama is currently gripped by drought, and water levels at least one of those reservoirs – Gatun Lake – are dropping. But the start of El Niño “could worsen” conditions, the Panama Canal authority also warned. Regional neighbors have sought opportunities to compete with the lucrative Panama Canal.

Persons: El Niño, El, Cape Horn Organizations: CNN, Panama Canal Authority, Ships, Panama City, Panamanian National Government, El, Pacific, United Locations: Panama, Central America, El, South America, Cape, Asia, United States, Panamanian, Panama Canal, Nicaragua, Mexico, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico

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