Gatun Lake News

In response to the current and projected level of Gatun Lake, the Panama Canal Authority has announced, through Notice to Shipping Lines No. A-08-2024, that it will increase the number of daily slots available in the Panamax locks.Two additional slots will be offered by auction for transit dates scheduled starting March 18, and one additional slot will be available for transits scheduled starting March 25. This will bring the number of transits from 24 to 27.These measures allow the majority of ships that wish to transit the Canal to have a better chance of obtaining a reservation…

The Panama Canal, one of the world's main maritime trade routes, announced on Friday it is launching a special auction slot on Saturday, as it battles a severe drought that has forced it to reduce daily ship crossings."The purpose of this measure is to provide greater opportunity of obtaining a slot for vessels in the Panamax Locks that have been waiting in the transit queue for an extended period," the canal's authority said in a statement.Water levels in Gatun Lake, the rainfall-fed principal reservoir that floats ships through the Panama Canal's lock system, have declined to unprecedented l

The Panama Canal could further reduce the maximum number of authorized daily vessel transits if this year's drought continues, the waterway's administrator said on Tuesday.A backlog of ships is waiting to pass through the trans-oceanic canal, which handles an estimated 5% of world trade. It began restricting vessel draft and daily passage authorizations this year to conserve water.Many vessels have had to lighten cargoes before passing, and freight costs have risen ahead of the Christmas shopping season.Up to 32 ships are currently authorized to transit every day…

The Panama Canal's water levels have not recovered enough as the end of the rainy season approaches and limits on daily transit and vessel draft will stay in place for the rest of the year and throughout 2024, the waterway's authority said on Tuesday.The restrictions, implemented earlier this year to conserve water amid prolonged drought, triggered a backlog of ships waiting to pass the key global waterway, which handles an estimated 5% of world trade, contributing to more expensive…

Before the Ever Max ship carrying lava lamps, sofas, Halloween costumes and artificial Christmas trees could make its inaugural Panama Canal voyage this month, a historic drought forced it to drop weight by offloading hundreds of containers.Weather-related disruptions denied the vessel, owned by Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine, a chance on Aug. 1 to set a record for carrying the most containers through the vital maritime shortcut that connects the Pacific and Atlantic…

The Panama Canal has increased the maximum allowable length for vessels transiting the Neopanamax Locks. Since May 21, the maximum length overall (LOA) for commercial and noncommercial vessels acceptable for regular transits of the Neopanamax Locks is 370.33 meters (1,215 feet), up from 367.28 meters (1,205 feet).The increase, which comes nearly five years after the canal's expansion, means that now 96.8% of the world’s fleet of containerships can transit the Panama Canal. “This…

The Panama Canal has amended a tender for the engineering, design and construction of an optimized water management system after receiving more than 250 potential bidder inquiries following the opening of the prequalification period in September.The Canal has been grappling with unprecedented drought constrained water levels, and the tender is the first component of a program to manage water resources in an integrated manner to provide an adequate water supply for both Canal operations and local consumption for the next 50 years.

The Panama Canal has emerged from its fifth driest year in 70 equipped to ensure a competitive draft, and thus steady operations, after draft concerns led to the implementation of water-saving measures.Having an operational level of water and transit reliability in the second half of 2020 will be critical for the waterway as it advances its search for long-term water solutions and prepares for coronavirus-driven shifts in trade, as the Panama Canal Administrator outlined earlier this month.The waterway has carefully monitored its operational water usage since the end of 2018…

A new "freshwater" charge that came in this month to help the Panama Canal cope with climate change will cost the shipping industry up to $370 million a year, marking another blow for maritime companies already hit by fallout from the coronavirus.The Panama Canal, one of world's busiest shipping routes, which handled nearly 14,000 transits last year, said last month it would introduce a charge from Feb. 15 of $10,000 for any vessel more than 125 feet long.The canal, which relies on water from nearby Gatun Lake, has been hit by drought which affects water levels in the chokepoint.

The Panama Canal will begin collecting a freshwater surcharge from ships using the waterway from 15th February, as part of actions to address a scarcity of rainfall after the surrounding area recorded its fifth driest year of the last seven decades in 2019.The charge will be set at $10,000 for any vessel over 125 feet long. There will also be a variable surcharge based on the level of the Gatun Lake at the time of transit.The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) calculate this move will increase costs to ships passing through the Panama Canal by up to 15%. The new ‘Freshwater Charge’ comes ahead of significant changes in rates to the Panama Canal Authority 2020 Tolls Modification, which is due to become effective on April 1st, 2020.

The transit of four liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers through the Panama Canal’s Neopanamax Locks in a single day marks a new milestone for the canal and reinforces its capacity to handle growing demand from the U.S., where several new LNG export terminals are scheduled to begin operating.On Monday, the vessels Ribera del Duero Knutsen with a cargo capacity of 173,000 m3 and Maran Gas Pericles with cargo capacity of 174,000 m3 transited northbound, while Torben Spirit with a cargo capacity of 174…

The Panama Canal registered the transit of its 4,000th Neopanamax vessel through the Expanded Canal, underscoring the steady growth of the burgeoning liquefied natural gas (LNG) segment – which began transiting the waterway for the first time following the inauguration of the Expanded Canal.The LNG tanker Maria Energy completed the milestone transit traveling southbound from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean on July 29."The steady increase in Neopanamax transits reflect our customers’ confidence in the Expanded Canal…

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced that it is training over one thousand workers on the operations of the new locks of the Panama Canal Expansion. Once these first training phase is completed, the courses will be standardized and offered to additional members of the workforce. The training of Panama Canal workforce is a requirement under the new locks’ contract. The different project’s subcontractors, responsible for the electromechanical equipment, will offer the courses. Hyundai, manufacturer of valves and accessories, and Bosh Rexroth, supplier of the valves’ hydraulic cylinders, motors, and controls, will offer training courses. Training has already been provided on high-mast lighting, fenders within the chambers, bridge cranes, and the controls of the new locks’ equipment.

Effective immediately, and until further notice, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP)  will require transiting crude oil tankers, product carrier, and chemical tankers carrying cargoes with flashpoint of less than 18 deg. C, to cool their main decks with water by means of the on-deck water sprinkler system or any other means available in order to prevent automatic activation of their pressure relief valves during transit. The cooling of the main deck shall be performed between 1000 and 1600 hours while the vessel is underway at Gatun Lake or Gaillard Cut, or at anchor in Canal waters. However, this procedure should be stopped while the vessel is transiting through the locks or is in the vicinity of the locks, and when Canal deckhands are on board.

The Panama Canal continues to experience high vessel backlog. * INCREASED ARRIVAL OF LARGE AND DEEP DRAFT VESSELS: These larger vessels and those with deeper drafts, besides having more restrictions than small, light draft vesse;s, require more time to transit the locks, thus reducing the total number of vessels that may be scheduled for transit in a day. The average percentage of “supers” transiting per day has increased to more than 74% as of October 2014. * WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES AND LOW GATUN LAKE LEVELS DUE TO EL NINO PHENOMENON: Gatun Lake, which supplies water for Canal operations, not only has bad water levels below what is expected for the entire current year 2015, but has also registered some of the lowest levels, not seen since the beginning of Canal operations in 1914.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has lifted scheduled vessel draft restrictions brought on by lingering draught conditions in the region. The ACP had previously set restrictions of 11.89 meters Tropical Fresh Water (TFW) to take effect September 8 due to the effects of an El Niño climate phenomenon triggering a drought in the Canal Watershed, causing water levels of Gatun and Alhajuela Lakes to fall well below average. The Canal was able to suspend restrictions due to rainfall received during the last few days…

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has issued an updated Advisory to Shipping to alert all Canal shipping agents, owners and operators that water conditions at this time do not warrant the need to institute a second draft restriction, which was tentatively scheduled for September 15, 2015. Due to recent rainfall the Panama Canal watershed has experienced, the Canal has postponed the need for the second restriction which was announced earlier this month. The first maximum authorized transit draft restriction of 11.89 meters (39.0 feet) Tropical Fresh Water (TFW) will still be effective on September 8, 2015 and continue until further notice.

Draught conditions have led the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to set draft restrictions for vessels operating in the canal. ACP described the restriction as temporary and preventive measure due to the El Niño climate phenomenon resulting in periodic warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean. When this occurs, El Niño changes the pattern of rainfall in many regions of the planet, in this case triggering a drought in the Canal Watershed, causing water levels of Gatun and Alhajuela Lakes to fall substantially below their average for this time of year.

The Panama Canal Authority closely monitors the water levels of Gatun and Alhajuela lakes on a regular basis due to the importance that these resources have for transit operations. With the onset of the 'El Nino' phenomenon, great efforts have and are being invested in forecasts and estimates of the possible impact this weather phenomenon might have in Panama Canal operations. Additionally, the Panama Canal continues to invest considerable resources and is taking numerous water conservation measures in an effort to reduce the possibility of imposing draft restrictions in the near future as a result of this phenomenon. The term 'El Nino' refers to the large-scale ocean-atmosphere climate phenomenon linked to a periodic warming in sea-surface temperatures across the tropical Pacific.

The Panama Canal has taken another important step forward toward the completion of the Expansion Program as it begins to fill the lower chamber of its new Atlantic locks. The news signals the start of a deliberate and methodical phase of operational tests and quality control that will, eventually, prepare the Canal to accommodate larger maritime vessels and new segments. Thursday’s progress marks yet another development for an Expansion Program approaching completion. “This event highlights the magnitude of what we have been working on for the past seven years,” said Panama Canal Administrator/CEO Jorge L. Quijano. During an initial phase of filling…

The first gate for the Panama Canal’s new locks in the Pacific side was installed earlier today after being carried to its final destination on self-propelled motorized wheel transporters (SPMTs) with more than 400 wheels each, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) reported. The installation marks another milestone for the canal’s expansion program, which is now 85 percent complete overall. “Today’s installation marks an important step towards the completion of the Expansion Program,” said Panama Canal Administrator/CEO Jorge L. Quijano.

The Panama Canal Expansion Program’s electro-mechanical installation phase has begun with the installation of the first steel rolling gate at the Atlantic side. "This year, the Expansion Program completed several milestones towards the completion of the project," said Panama Canal Administrator Jorge L. Quijano. "I am proud of the progress we have made on this project and the uninterrupted service we have provided to global shipping for 100 years. With the arrival of the last…

In another major milestone for the Panama Canal Expansion Program, the electromechanical installation phase, one of the most important of the project, has begun with the installation of the first steel rolling gate at the Atlantic side. “This year, the Expansion Program completed several milestones towards the completion of the project,” said Panama Canal Administrator Jorge L. Quijano. “I am proud of the progress we have made on this project and the uninterrupted service we have provided to global shipping for 100 years. With the arrival of the last four of the 16 rolling gates for the new locks in November and the transfer of the eight gates for the Pacific-side locks through the waterway, all electro-mechanical components are ready to be installed.