Severe drought is constraining the Panama Canal
Costs for ships to go through it are spiralling. Consumers will feel the pinch
The Panama Canal provides a short cut between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for 6% of the world’s maritime commerce. At its maximum capacity between 38 and 40 ships can pass through the canal each day. But over the past few months far fewer ships have made the voyage. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP), which allocates reservations, has slashed this number to 24. On December 1st it will go down to 22, and from February onwards only 18 ships will be able to cross each day.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Cry me a river”
From the November 25th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Entrevista con Javier Milei, presidente de Argentina
Transcripción de su encuentro con nuestro corresponsal
An interview with Javier Milei, Argentina’s president
A transcript of his meeting with our journalist
Mexico and Canada brace for Donald Trump’s tariff thrashing
Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada’s Justin Trudeau are taking different approaches to looming trade war
Javier Milei, free-market revolutionary
Argentina’s president explains how he has overturned the old economic order
Is Uruguay too stable for its own good?
The new president must deal with serious problems with growth, education and crime
Bolsonaro’s bid to regain Brazil’s presidency may end in prison
Brazilian police have accused some of his backers of involvement not just in a coup, but in an assassination plot