Panama Canal restricts ship passage due to El Niño

The El Niño climate phenomenon is impacting one of the world's most important waterways. Given the recent low levels of rainfall, the Panama Canal is reducing the number of ship passages permitted. The bookable passages will be gradually reduced from 36 per day to 32 from September, as the operator of the waterway ACP between the Atlantic and the Pacific announced.

Despite the ongoing rainy season and water conservation measures already taken to mitigate the effects of the climate phenomenon, additional preventive steps are required. This is intended to ensure the long-term sustainability of canal operations, it said in a statement.

The Panama Canal works with locks. Every time a ship passes through, fresh water flows into the sea. The large amounts of water required are taken from a water catchment area fed by two lakes. The water levels in the lakes have fallen as a result of the “negative effects of the El Niño phenomenon,” explained ACP.

Between May and August it rained around 34 percent less than the historical average for this period, the canal authority said. According to forecasts, even lower rainfall is expected in the region as a result of El Niño in 2026-2027. With a view to the dry season, which begins in January, prudent use of water resources and careful monitoring are necessary to ensure water availability.

In the naturally occurring climate phenomenon El Niño, the water surface in the eastern and central Pacific near the equator warms, which affects wind, air pressure and precipitation worldwide. As a result, the risk of extreme weather events increases. The El Niño phenomenon usually occurs every two to seven years and lasts between nine and twelve months.