By Reuters
PANAMA CITY, May 15 (Reuters) – The Panama Canal is not planning vessel passage restrictions for the remainder of 2026 even if an El Niño weather pattern begins in the second half of the year as predicted, potentially leading to another drought in the Central American country, the waterway told Reuters.
The canal linking the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is currently allowing 38 ships to pass through each day and has seen demand increase in recent months mainly due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which is affecting the use of other corridors like the Suez Canal.
The El Niño climate pattern, which occurs every two to seven years, leads to warm ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, which typically means wetter, colder winters in portions of the U.S. and rainfall reduction in Central America, leading to droughts.
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