COSCO to make first NewPanamax sailing

Amid rising water levels in Gatun Lake, the Panama Canal Authority plans to boost daily transit slots by three.

Maersk Line is splitting its weekly Oceania/Americas service (OC1) into two loops and will for the foreseeable future use rail to route containers over Panama rather than the canal.

Container shipping companies are responding to the rising cost of using the Panama Canal by charging their customers additional fees.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has had to impose further restrictions on vessel transits as a result of the country’s driest October in 73 years. Since April, the ACP has been forced to cut the navigable draught in the canal and the number of daily transits because of the region’s drought and to ensure the safe passage of its customers’ ships.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) continues to implement measures to ensure that a sufficient supply of fresh water is available in the lakes and reservoirs for both the country’s population and the locks in the canal.

Increased vessels deployment in transpacific trades is stressing US port infrastructure even more; this is also reflected in Panamanian concerns