Panama Canal extends booking Condition 3
Written by Alex Marcheschi
Panama Canal Authority is making efforts to minimize backlog of traffic during drought conditions
As of today, August 23, the Panama Canal had 119 vessels waiting for transit, according to the Panama Canal vessels statistics and transit backlog, as the Panama Canal Authority has chosen to extend booking Condition 3 due to the prolonged dry season affecting many regions in the area, including the Panama Canal.
During normal circumstances, about 90 ships are waiting to use the canal. Under Condition 3, booking slots for the canal are limited to 14 in total, mainly comprised of 10 slots for super-sized vessels and four slots for regular-sized vessels.
The Panama Canal Authority aims to maintain a draft of 44 feet throughout the remainder of the current year and part of 2024, unless significant changes occur in weather conditions from current projections. Consistent with this draft, during this period, 32 vessels per day will be transiting the canal, down from an average of 36 in normal circumstances.
Condition 3 allows the authority to manage congestion and ensures that ships that have not secured reservation can still transit in competitive time frames. However, it should be noted that transits through the Neopanamax locks maintain their regular average of 10 transits per day, which are not impacted by the Condition 3
During August, the average wait time for unbooked transits has been between nine and 11 days, and the authority is continuously monitoring these figures and implementing measure to improve the flow of traffic.
- You can view a graph comparing average monthly wait times at the Panama Canal dating back to 2021, HERE
