The Panama Canal is lifting restrictions that caused a global shipping bottleneck as water levels get back to near normal after a severe drought.
Farm Policy News says the Panama Canal Authority increased the draft in the waterway to a maximum of 50 feet and will allow 36 vessels a day to cross after recent rains lifted water levels at an artificial lake that forms part of the canal system. The Authority is also expecting rains to continue through November, further lifting water levels.
About 30 to 32 vessels are currently traveling through the waterway, and that’s still below pre-drought capacity. The canal had restricted daily transits to as few as 24 while the drought was ongoing, and it will likely take five to six months for shippers to return in full.
Rainfall is expected to lift water levels to 88 feet by November from current levels of around 85.8 feet of water.