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Jewish News 24 · Aug 20, 2026

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The Panama Canal is imposing successive draft restrictions in the coming weeks to conserve water amid low Gatun Lake levels driven by a developing, potentially record-strength El Niño. Maximum authorized drafts for Neopanamax locks are being reduced in stages — to 48 feet on August 26 and 47.5 feet on September 3 - the fourth and fifth such cuts this year. The Canal Authority says these draft adjustments will not affect daily transit numbers, though it separately trimmed daily crossing slots from 36 to 34 in late July as a precaution. With ships forced to carry less cargo, major carriers have already responded by raising Panama Canal surcharges by $200 to $1,000 per forty-foot container on affected routes for mid-September.

The Panama Canal is imposing successive draft restrictions in the coming weeks to conserve water amid low Gatun Lake levels driven by a developing, potentially record-strength El Niño. Maximum authorized drafts for Neopanamax locks are being reduced in stages — to 48 feet on August 26 and 47.5 feet on September 3 - the fourth and fifth such cuts this year. The Canal Authority says these draft adjustments will not affect daily transit numbers, though it separately trimmed daily crossing slots from 36 to 34 in late July as a precaution. With ships forced to carry less cargo, major carriers have already responded by raising Panama Canal surcharges by $200 to $1,000 per forty-foot container on affected routes for mid-September.

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