The Panama Canal has announced temporary operational measures in response to lower-than-expected rainfall across its watershed. Beginning September 3, 2026, daily transit slots will be adjusted to nine for Neopanamax vessels and 25 for Panamax vessels. Panamax availability will then decrease to 23 daily slots from September 15.

Despite the arrival of Panama’s rainy season and water-saving measures introduced to mitigate the potential effects of El Niño, current watershed conditions require additional action to protect the long-term sustainability of Canal operations.

The Canal will also temporarily reorganize daily auction slots into four market groups: LNG and LPG carriers; dry bulk, general cargo and other vessels; containerships, vehicle/RoRo carriers and refrigerated vessels; and chemical, crude oil and refined-product tankers.

Customers already holding reservations through LoTSA, Net Zero, or previous allocations will generally be ineligible for an additional slot for the same transit date unless no other competitors are available. Fully laden Neopanamax containerships with greater TEU capacity will receive priority during allocation, with Customer Ranking used as a tiebreaker.

The Canal warned that fewer daily transits could increase waiting times for vessels arriving without confirmed reservations and strongly encouraged customers to use its Transit Reservation System, noting that a confirmed booking is the only mechanism that guarantees a transit date.

Meanwhile, previously announced Neopanamax draft reductions have been postponed. The 48-foot (14.63-meter) limit will now take effect on September 2, 2026, while the planned reduction to 47.5 feet (14.48 meters) has been moved to October 1, 2026. The Canal will continue monitoring rainfall, watershed inflows, lake levels, and weather forecasts as conditions evolve.