Panama Canal marks 112 years of more efficient operations

Panama City, Aug 16 (Prensa Latina) The Panama Canal marked 112 years of operations with solid performance, even as it faces a water crisis caused by the El Nino climate event, which continues to affect the country.

August 17, 2026
10:16

According to the most recent operational report of the interoceanic waterway, it has registered 10,623 transits of deep-draft vessels so far in fiscal year 2026.

This figure represents a 6.12 percent increase (613 additional transits) over the 10,010 vessels recorded during the same period in the previous fiscal year.

Of the total vessels served in the first ten months of the fiscal year, 2,990 were Neopanamax ships, and 7,633 were Panamax vessels.

Since Saturday, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) implemented a new reduction in the operating draft for vessels transiting the Neopanamax locks, setting the limit at 48.5 feet (14.78 meters).

The measure is part of a contingency plan in response to the extension of the El Niño phenomenon, whose drought effects on the river basin could last until summer 2027.

jdt/iff/ga