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\nIn 2023, El Ni\u00f1o also forced the canal authority to reduce the number of daily crossings<\/p>\n
The Panama Canal has begun to reduce the number of ships passing through due to a drought caused by the El Ni\u00f1o weather phenomenon.<\/p>\n
The Panama Canal Authority said low water levels in the two artificial lakes that feed the canal forced it to act.<\/p>\n
The number of vessels allowed through the waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans will be progressively lowered from 36 per day to 32 by mid-September.<\/p>\n
Panama has declared a nationwide emergency over El Ni\u00f1o, a weather pattern developing over the Pacific Ocean that is triggering worldwide changes in winds, atmospheric pressure and rainfall and pushing up global temperatures.<\/p>\n
\nIn 2023, El Ni\u00f1o also forced the canal authority to reduce the number of daily crossings<\/p>\n
This year’s El Ni\u00f1o is expected to be the strongest since comparable records began four decades ago.<\/p>\n
It has not yet reached its peak, but Central America is already in the throes of a severe drought, prompting Honduras and El Salvador to also declare emergencies.<\/p>\n
The Panama Canal handles 5% of global maritime trade and around 40% of US container traffic.<\/p>\n
It has already implemented other water conservation measures, such as lowering the maximum draft – the vessel’s depth in the water – for the largest ships.<\/p>\n
In 2023, El Ni\u00f1o forced the canal authority to reduce the number of daily crossings to 22 vessels.<\/p>\n