The Panama Canal, an early 20th century American-engineered wonder allowing ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is seeking to adapt to a major drought that has slowed traffic and is drying up income.
The canal relies on rainwater to move ships through a series of locks that function like water elevators. However, a shortage of rainfall has forced operators to restrict the number of vessels (43-foot draft) passing through (from 40 to 32 a day to save water), likely to result in a $200M drop in earnings in 2024, canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said Aug. 3.
The Panama Canal operates mainly with freshwater, while other canals use seawater, said Vasquez. The water treatment plants do not have desalination capacity, he said.
"We have to find other solutions to remain a relevant route for international trade. If we don't adapt, we are going to die."
Since its opening in 1914, more than 1M vessels have transited the canal, saving them a lengthy journey around South America.
For each ship, 200M liters of freshwater is used to move it through the locks.
Due to the draft restrictions, some merchant ships are forced to unload their containers and send lighter vessels through the canal, while goods cross Panama by rail before being reloaded.
If the drought and resulting restrictions continue, Vasquez fears shipping companies will "opt for other routes." That may include the Strait of Magellan between South America and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.
"(I)f we find a solution relatively soon ... one (that) customers know is on the way, it should alleviate long-term concern," said Vasquez. (AFP 08/04/23) Drought-hit Panama Canal must 'adapt or die' as water levels drop (msn.com)
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