gCaptain21 Jul 2026AI generated
Daily booking capacity will be cut from 36 to 34 vessels from July 25 until further notice, as the Panama Canal Authority halts period-three auctions for Panamax locks in response to declining Gatun Lake levels and the prospect of a severe El Niño. Shipping agent Norton Lilly relayed the restriction, which canal projections tie to a water depth already slightly below the five-year July average and expected to fall further by late September.
Context
The canal curtailment compounds existing bottlenecks, coinciding with a near-halt in Strait of Hormuz traffic after vessel attacks and Houthi threats to Red Sea shipping.
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gCaptain21 Jul