The low water level has caused traffic jams in the Panama Canal. The waiting time for transit has increased and they have limited the number of ships that can pass per day.
The Panama Canal collapsed due to the drought. Due to the increase in temperature and climate change, the water level has dropped and the depth of ships is limited to 13.4 meters, making it difficult for large ships that need more depth to navigate.
This has led the authority to only allow the passage of authorized vessels with reservations and limits the total number of vessels passing per day to a maximum of 32, compared to the 36 per day that normally pass under normal conditions.
In recent days, drought-related restrictions have been eased and the authority has opened two slots a day for unreserved vessels to pass through to solve bottlenecks on both sides of the interoceanic corridor.
According to official figures the number of ships waiting to pass has decreased from 160 to 134, and the number of ships approaching the channel from 50 to 40. However, the average waiting time has increased to 10-11 days, compared to 6-7 days last month: The waiting time is more than 17 days for cargo ships and LPG tankers and almost 13 days for oil tankers.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
