Panama Canal says goodbye to drought

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26 September 2020

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Panama, Sep 26 (Prensa Latina) The Panama Canal concluded a long period of drought and is currently offering the Neopanamax ships its maximum draught of 50 feet (15.24 meters), thanks to water-saving measures and recent rains.

'For the first time in 20 months, the interoceanic way has the capacity to allow ships to use the maximum draught of the Neopanamax locks, as a result of a combination of factors for clients to receive a more rentable route from the canal for their business,' Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said.

This allows ships to transit with more cargo, because the draught is the distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull.

According to a press release from the Authority of the Panama Canal (ACP), each foot (0.30 meters) of allowed depth accounts for some 330 containers that can be loaded.

In 2019, the fifth driest year in 70 years, the maximum draught of the enlarged canal was 46 feet (14.02 meters) and was reached in October, while in 2020, that capacity was reached in June and increased gradually until the current level.