Steady draft through 2022

12 Apr 2022 / Panama Canal, Panama

After sustaining operational draft through the dry season, the [Panama Canal] now looks ahead to long-term water saving projects.

The waterway implemented tactics to conserve water used in its operations throughout the dry season. For example, the Panama Canal has been implementing cross-filling lockages, a technique that sends water between the two lanes at the Panamax Locks during transits and saves an amount of water equivalent to that used in six lockages each day.

Despite experiencing more precipitation this dry season, the Canal continues to use water-saving practices. As a result, the team was able to delay two draft adjustments in March 2022 alone, allowing customers to continue benefiting from the maximum draft of 50 feet.

To adapt for future industry and consumer trends, the Panama Canal is moving promptly on its ambitious plans to build a water management system, which will encompass a series of projects designed to ensure an ample long-term water supply, while protecting the environment and accounting for climate change variabilities.

Nonetheless, the Panama Canal expects shipping lines will continue to consolidate more cargo on fewer vessels due to dramatic shift in global supply chains, which have become even more volatile since the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend will bring heavier, larger ships to the Panama route, underscoring the importance of safeguarding this operational draft moving forward.

To maintain a continuous communication regarding this subject, the Panama Canal implemented the “Canal Connection” web site, available in the following link: https://pancanal.com/en/canal-connection/

(For information about operations in the Panama Canal, contact GAC Panama at [email protected])

Source: Extract from Panama Canal Authority Monthly Canal Operations Summary – March 2022

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