Panama Flash! – Reminder: Temporary Reduction of Daily Transits capacity at the Panama Canal
Panama City – July 28th, 2023 | We would like to remind that effective July 30th, the Canal Authority will implement additional measures to address the ongoing severe drought situation in the Canal watershed. These measures have been communicated through the advisory to shipping ADV35-2023, which was dated July 25th.
The primary measure involves a reduction in the daily canal capacity to accommodate 32 vessels, comprising 10 vessels through the Neopanamax Locks and 22 vessels through the Panamax Locks. Unfortunately, this reduction will lead to additional delays for non-booked vessels.
The booking slot allocation will remain unchanged, continuing to be offered as it is today:
- 13 slots for supers
- 6 slots for regulars
- 1 auction for super
- 1 auction for regular
This arrangement leaves only one daily slot available for allocation to non-booked vessels.
We want to emphasize that this traffic reduction has already been in effect to some extent since mid-July, resulting in few or no non-booked vessels transiting on certain days. Consequently, delays for non-booked vessels have been further exacerbated. As of July 28th, the queue of waiting vessels to transit has been steadily growing, particularly for vessels utilizing the old locks. The current status of queued vessels by segment and transit direction is as follows:
- Neopanamax Northbound: 4 vessels
- Neopanamax Southbound: 6 vessels
- Panamax plus Northbound: 1 vessel
- Panamax plus Southbound: 1 vessel
- Supers Northbound: 34 vessels
- Supers Southbound: 24 vessels
- Regulars Northbound: 0 vessels
- Regulars Southbound: 1 vessel
Considering the projected reduction in capacity and the potential for further delays, we strongly recommend taking action to minimize disruptions to your operations. We urge vessel operators to either join the booking system or actively participate in the auction process to secure transit slots and mitigate potential delays.
To obtain more information on booking slot availability or to participate in the auction system, please reach out to our operations team at operations@nortonlilly.com.pa. We are equipped to provide you with all the necessary details and assistance you require.
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Norton Lilly International (Panama) S.A.
Bldg. 3825 – Office 204
Howard – Panama-Pacifico
Panama, Rep. of Panama
Tel: (507) 304-4600
Main email: operations@nortonlilly.com.pa (24 hours)
