According to CCTV News, due to the continuous drought, the Panama Canal Authority has recently introduced more restrictions, including temporarily restricting the number of applications for new appointments. The new restrictions will last at least until the 21st of this month.
It is reported that the Panama Canal Authority announced the new traffic restrictions to canal users on the 8th of this month. The new measures stipulate that at the canal's old locks, which are used for smaller vessels, the upper limit of daily appointment vessels will be reduced from 16 to 14 to allow passage of vessels without prior appointment. While the number of reservations for the maximum locks remains unchanged. The Canal Authority said the measure was to ease congestion on the canal. It is understood that as of the 10th of this month, there are 161 cargo ships waiting in line near the mouth of the Panama Canal, far exceeding the normal situation of about 90 cargo ships queuing during the rainy season.
The Panama Canal is about 80 kilometers long and connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is an important waterway for global trade. The canal uses a system of locks to raise ships from sea level to Gatung Lake in the middle of the canal, allowing ships to travel along the river between the central mountains of Panama. Every time a ship is raised or lowered from the lock, a large amount of fresh water is drawn from Lake Gatun.
this year, due to the continuous drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon, the Panama Canal Authority has restricted the maximum draught and the upper limit of the number of passing ships since the beginning of this year to ease the pressure on the water supply. However, although the rainy season in Panama has arrived, the enhancement of El Niño not only makes the rainy season later than normal, but also has a significant decrease in rainfall compared with normal years, and the high temperature weather has further increased evaporation, making the Panama Canal face a more serious water shortage. The Panama Canal Authority said in mid-July that the water level of Gatun Lake had dropped to 24.26 meters, approaching the 22.86-meter minimum design level.
Panama Canal Authority meteorology and hydrology expert Murillo: We expect that by the end of this year, the El Niño phenomenon will further strengthen, so the Panama Canal faces a gloomy outlook.
Source: The Beijing News