The drought eases, the Panama Canal again increases daily ship traffic.
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 10: The Panama Canal Authority announced on the 9th that due to rainfall restrictions, the number of daily navigation ships in the Panama Canal will further increase from 33 to 34 starting on the 12th. In the past, the number of ships operating in the Panama Canal was reduced due to the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
The French news agency reported that the water levels in the two artificial lakes on which the Panama Canal operates have fallen this year due to insufficient rainfall caused by the "extraordinarily strong" El Niño phenomenon. The government of Panama declared a state of national emergency on August 25 to deal with the risks of drought and other disasters and their impact on shipping in the Panama Canal. In September, the number of daily navigation ships in the Panama Canal was reduced from 36 to 34, and then further reduced to 32.
With the latest supply of precipitation, the number of daily navigation ships in the Panama Canal has recovered to 33, and will further increase to 34 from 12. The previously limited draft standards for navigation vessels were also adjusted at the same time, with the maximum draft increased to 15.24 meters.
The Panama Canal handles about 5% of the world's maritime trade. After navigation in the Strait of Hormuz was blocked, the volume of navigation of the Panama Canal increased significantly. Statistics show that during the fiscal year from October 2025 to September 2026, nearly 14,000 ships moved goods through the Panama Canal, with cargo volume reaching a record 521 million tons.