Posted on 08/11/2023 8:49:52 PM PDT by Loud Mime
The Panama Canal, one of the major shipping routes through which 40 percent of container goods sold in America travels, currently has a 21-day wait time for ships attempting to make the passage. And the situation will only get worse before it gets better.
The number of vessels waiting to sneak between North and South America currently stands at 154. The traffic jam is thanks to a severe drought that has afflicted the area since this Spring. About $270 billion in cargo travels through the canal every year...
snip
Not only are reservations for making it through the canal cut down, but the Panama Canal Authority also issued a weight limit of about 40 percent lower than the previous limit, leaving heavier tankers already on their way to the canal in a lurch. Drought conditions have lasted for years now and the multiple lakes which feed the canal and allows the locks to operate, is at a four-year low.
“Those containers left may need another vessel to complete the journey,” said Captain Adil Ashiq, head of North America for MarineTraffic told CNBC. “This is going to get worse before it gets better.”
(Excerpt) Read more at jalopnik.com ...
This is a major logjam for Europe and the US East coast. Although they talk of delays, the canal may be closed for some ships.
Anyone know if this happens occasionally? Or is this brand new?
They need more than 1 Canal. High time to build another canal.
If they want to know where all the rain went, I can tell them......
They have been concerned about this for some time, because all the water for the canal operation comes from Gatun and Madden Lakes. Over the years they have increased the number of boats going through the canal and increased the size of those craft, so they are using far more water than they have before.
They constructed some recycling canals a year of two ago. Looks like it’s not helping that much.
I do not know about the rainfall. When I lived there (Albrook AFB), I was amazed at the rainstorms. If you miss a couple of storms, you are missing a lot of rainfall.
This is going to affect trade BIG TIME. I doubt that the railroads can take up the slack.
Panama built a wider, larger canal parallel to the existing canal, with China building it ina couple of years.
But they did not build additional lakes to supply the extra water needed.
And they blame it on a drought …
Texas and Panama need a hurricane in the Gulf to break this weather pattern.
More Here
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/09/panama-canal-shipping-pileup-due-to-drought-reaches-154-vessels.html
“...Look further if you wish. ..”
- - - - -
https://gcaptain.com/panama-canal-to-keep-limits-in-place-as-drought-hits-lake-levels/
Panama Canal To Keep Limits In Place As Drought Hits Lake Levels
July 2, 2023
The Panama Canal will likely keep restrictions on shippers in place this year as a drought has caused water levels at its main lake to drop to a four-year low, leading to a line of ships waiting to transit the waterway.
The canal authority said it will aim to keep draft restrictions, which limit how deep a ship can sit in the water, at no lower than 44 feet (13.4 meters) for large, Neopanamax ships throughout this year’s drought, Ricaurte Vasquez, authority administrator, said in an Wednesday interview from Panama City.
The limit will allow passage for most vessels, though some ships like container and dry bulk carriers will have to lighten their loads, he said.
In order maintain a draft of 44 feet, the canal authority is restricting the number of ships that cross the canal each day. The canal authority is currently allowing roughly 30-31 ships per day to transit the waterway, down from 36-37 “on a very good day,” Vasquez said.
- - - - -
https://gcaptain.com/severe-drought-forces-panama-canal-to-restrict-number-of-daily-vessel-transits/
Severe Drought Forces Panama Canal to Restrict Number of Daily Vessel Transits
July 25, 2023
The Panama Canal Authority has announced plans to reduce daily vessel transits to help conserve water due to an ongoing drought.
The new restrictions come as the ACP has already implemented a series of draft restrictions for the critical waterway, limiting the amount of cargo ships can carry.
The Panama Canal Authority said it was implementing the measures to reduce the possibility of additional draft restrictions due to extended dry conditions in the Panama Canal watershed, despite water saving measures and the arrival of the rainy season. This year’s El Niño has resulted in drier than normal conditions in Panama, intensifying the drought and leading to lower water levels in Gatun Lake.
Starting from July 30, 2023, the daily transit capacity of the Panama Canal will be adjusted to an average of 32 ocean-going vessels per day, with 10 vessels in the Neopanamax locks and 22 vessels in the Panamax locks. The ACP warns capacity may be further adjusted based on factors such as Gatun Lake level, weather forecasts, and vessel mix.
The maximum sustainable capacity of the Panama Canal, including both the Panamax and expanded Neopanamax locks, is approximately 38-40 vessels per day, but generally around 34-38 vessels transit each month. However, the two most recent months, May and June, saw an average of only 32.58 and 32.13 transits per day, respectively.
Dig a parallel trench and let nature take its course.
Might take many decades but eventually: No isthmus; no “land bridge”’ and PCZ out of business.
If the delays get too long, they could always start going around Cape Horn again.
Pacific tidal zones rise slightly.
Atlantic tidal zones fall slightly more dramatically.
And “man-made carbon footprints” will be blamed.
No “/s”
Need a new canal, one mile wide,300 feet deep, from Brownsville Texas to San Diego California.
Make the whole thing a Military project then a Military Zone.
Solves a couple of problems, and don’t tell me it can’t be done.
WE built a Continental Railroad, We built at original Panama Canal, WE built the Boulder Dam.
And WE did that with technology that was PIMITIVE by todays standards!
I like your idea of a canal
What happened to the melting icebergs and rising oceans?
They cannot get their crises straight.
At first glance, I agreed with your assessment and comment.
However, in looking at the article, it appears that the water used by the locks comes (in part, at least) from freshwater lakes in the hills and mountains around the Canal Zone.
With the two largest bodies of water in the world on either end, it seems strange to deplete fresh water supplies in order to do a job that could be handled by pumping sea water. The pumping costs must be prohibitive. That’s the only explanation I can come up with.
Yes, I realized after rereading that it was lake fed, or whatever.
I thought the canal was like the Sault Locks in Michigan or the St Lawrence Seaway. The Panama Canal is, as you said, between two large bodies of water.
The history of the Panama Canal is worth reading about. David McCullough’s book “The Path Between the Seas” is a good read. There are more good books on the construction.
I lived in the CZ for four years and went through the canal several times as a Boy Scout. Man, do I have stories about camping in the jungles.
Remember that the canal was built in the early 1900’s. At the time they knew the rainfall would be adequate, and was, until population and ships grew beyond any plans.
You never can tell. When I lived in Austin, one of the eyes went right over my house and we got nary a drop before or after.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.