Panama City. The number of ship transits in the Panama Canal was reduced by 29 percent last year, compared to the previous year, due to the drought, the infrastructure authority reported this Tuesday.
According to data provided by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to the AFP, during the fiscal year of 2024, 9,944 vessels passed through this sea route.
That figure represents 29 percent less compared to the previous fiscal year, when 14,080 ships crossed the Panama Canal.
The ACP also reported in a statement that 423 million tons of cargo passed through the canal, 17 percent less compared to the 511 million tons of the previous year.
The fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year.
The majority of vessels that crossed the canal in the last year were container ships (2,773), chemical tankers (1,808), gas carriers (1,561) and bulk carriers (1,278).
The drop in the number of transits is due to the measures implemented by the ACP at the end of 2023 to address the lack of water resulting from the drought.
The ACP has not yet made public the income figure for the last fiscal year.
Unlike the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal operates with fresh water taken from two artificial lakes, whose levels suffered a considerable decrease due to the lack of rainfall.
The lack of rain reduced the daily passage of ships from 38 to 22, although the situation has normalized in recent months with the arrival of the rainy season in the country.
The Panamanian route projects a record income of five thousand 623 million dollars in 2025, when the passage of some 13 thousand 900 ships with 520 million tons of cargo is expected.
The 80-kilometer Panama Canal was inaugurated by the United States on August 15, 1914 and since then more than 1.2 million vessels have crossed its waters.
The main routes go from Asia to the east coast of the United States. This country, along with China, Japan and South Korea, are its main users.
It is estimated that 5 percent of world maritime trade passes through the Panamanian route.
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