Panama City (AFP) - The Panama Canal this Monday increased the daily traffic of ships that had been reduced in September due to the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon, reported the authority that manages this strategic commercial route.

First modification: 11/09/2026 - 23:50

The measure comes after an increase in rain, which favors crossing along the interoceanic route. 5% of world maritime trade passes through there.

The canal, which connects the Pacific with the Atlantic, works with fresh water that is stored in two artificial lakes, whose level had decreased due to the drought generated by the El Niño phenomenon.

For this reason, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) progressively reduced the number of daily transits from 36 to 32 at the beginning of September.

He later raised it to 33 due to an increase in rainfall and now to 34, starting next Thursday.

The measure responds "to the improvement in the level of the lakes" and to the "favorable hydrological projections," the ACP said in a statement.

In addition, since this Monday the draft of the vessels, which had also been reduced, returned to its maximum height of 15.24 meters.

Despite the restrictions, the canal broke its cargo transit record in its last fiscal year, which ended on September 30, with 521 million tons in almost 14,000 vessels.

The ACP also reported record revenues of $6.6 billion.

Between 2023 and 2024 the canal was forced to reduce the number of crossings per day to 22 also due to El Niño.

With 80 km in length, the road mainly connects routes from China, Japan and South Korea with the east coast of the United States, its main user.

© 2026 AFP

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