Due to the ongoing dry conditions, the Panama Canal Authority had to take temporary control measures to limit the number of ships passing through. According to a CNBC report on Wednesday local time, the number of ships waiting to pass through the Panama Canal, the global shipping artery, has reached 154. However, the daily number of ships anchored on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal is about 56-76, and the number of ships anchored on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal is about 83-110 ships. In other words, delays do exist, but they are not as serious as the outside world says. According to the plan of the Panama Transportation Authority, in the next few months, the draft of the canal will be maintained at 13.41 meters, which also means that only 32 ships are allowed to pass each day.
It is understood that in the past six months, the Panama Canal has experienced an extremely long dry season with a high degree of evaporation. It is very likely that El Niño conditions will form before the end of this calendar year, resulting in increased heat and lower water levels in the Canal. The Panama Canal wants to take steps to improve water efficiency while researching long-term solutions to climate change. However, it is worth noting that the current severity combined with its frequency is historically unprecedented.