Panama Canal raises Neopanamax draft limit

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will add a tenth daily booking slot at the Neopanamax Locks from 15 October, taking total daily capacity across both sets of locks to 33 transits.

IMAGE: The entrance to the Panama Canal. Getty Images

Vessels may now load to a maximum of 14.94 metres (49 feet), effective immediately and until further notice.

The ACP said the adjustment reflects precipitation recorded in the canal watershed in September, the effectiveness of water-saving measures at the locks, and current and projected Gatun Lake levels.

The ACP has set minimum weekly allocations of 42 slots for full container vessels, 21 for LPG carriers, four for LNG carriers and three for vehicle carriers, RoRo vessels, bulkers and others.

The ACP warned that the water deficit in the watershed persists, and that the booking system remains the only way to guarantee a transit date. Unbooked vessels face indefinite delays.

The move reverses restrictions imposed over recent months, after the ACP cut the Neopanamax draft to 14.63 metres (48 feet) from 2 September and reduced daily transits to 34 from 4 September, with Panamax slots falling to 23 from 15 September.

By Gautamee Hazarika

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