Panama Canal cuts Neopanamax draft and daily transit slots

Day 75 since 2026-07-01 (July 2026). Transits, all vessel types at Panama Canal averaged 28.9 transits per day over the 28 days to 2026-09-13, against 33.1 expected before the event (-13%).

Key facts

Day: 75 (as of 2026-09-13 (13 September 2026))
Started: 2026-07-01 (July 2026)
Severity: 3 Significant
Chokepoints: Panama Canal
Ports: None
Lanes: None

Severity basis: Any restriction at a chokepoint: the Panama Canal Authority lowered the maximum Neopanamax draft in steps from July 2026 and cut daily lock slots from 2026-09-03.

Transits, all vessel types, Panama Canal

Expected before the event: 33.1 transits per day
Last 7 days: 29.7
Last 28 days: 28.9 (-13%)
Average since the start: 30.5

Transits, all vessel types, Panama Canal, 2026-04-22 (22 April 2026) to 2026-09-13 (13 September 2026): values ranged from 23 transits per day on 2026-06-13 to 83 transits per day on 2026-07-13, with a mean of 31.4 transits per day. The latest value, for 2026-09-13, was 29 transits per day. The shaded band marks the event so far, 2026-07-01 to 2026-09-13.

Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-09-15 (15 September 2026).

Transits, all vessel types, Panama Canal (transits per day).
Date	transits per day
2026-04-22	35
2026-04-23	35
2026-04-24	34
2026-04-25	37
2026-04-26	36
2026-04-27	33
2026-04-28	36
2026-04-29	38
2026-04-30	35
2026-05-01	37
2026-05-02	39
2026-05-03	33
2026-05-04	40
2026-05-05	30
2026-05-06	36
2026-05-07	36
2026-05-08	33
2026-05-09	33
2026-05-10	36
2026-05-11	34
2026-05-12	32
2026-05-13	34
2026-05-14	33
2026-05-15	34
2026-05-16	35
2026-05-17	35
2026-05-18	33
2026-05-19	34
2026-05-20	40
2026-05-21	37
2026-05-22	32
2026-05-23	36
2026-05-24	34
2026-05-25	31
2026-05-26	34
2026-05-27	35
2026-05-28	32
2026-05-29	33
2026-05-30	34
2026-05-31	29
2026-06-01	32
2026-06-02	29
2026-06-03	32
2026-06-04	26
2026-06-05	33
2026-06-06	31
2026-06-07	32
2026-06-08	30
2026-06-09	25
2026-06-10	25
2026-06-11	25
2026-06-12	24
2026-06-13	23
2026-06-14	26
2026-06-15	24
2026-06-16	24
2026-06-17	23
2026-06-18	35
2026-06-19	32
2026-06-20	33
2026-06-21	36
2026-06-22	32
2026-06-23	34
2026-06-24	27
2026-06-25	33
2026-06-26	36
2026-06-27	33
2026-06-28	33
2026-06-29	30
2026-06-30	32
2026-07-01	36
2026-07-02	31
2026-07-03	34
2026-07-04	30
2026-07-05	37
2026-07-06	29
2026-07-07	27
2026-07-08	32
2026-07-09	32
2026-07-10	31
2026-07-11	29
2026-07-12	34
2026-07-13	83
2026-07-14	29
2026-07-15	28
2026-07-16	29
2026-07-17	32
2026-07-18	31
2026-07-19	34
2026-07-20	28
2026-07-21	30
2026-07-22	23
2026-07-23	30
2026-07-24	31
2026-07-25	30
2026-07-26	24
2026-07-27	31
2026-07-28	31
2026-07-29	30
2026-07-30	33
2026-07-31	29
2026-08-01	33
2026-08-02	27
2026-08-03	29
2026-08-04	31
2026-08-05	31
2026-08-06	29
2026-08-07	33
2026-08-08	28
2026-08-09	29
2026-08-10	26
2026-08-11	30
2026-08-12	29
2026-08-13	28
2026-08-14	31
2026-08-15	31
2026-08-16	33
2026-08-17	23
2026-08-18	27
2026-08-19	31
2026-08-20	27
2026-08-21	26
2026-08-22	25
2026-08-23	28
2026-08-24	30
2026-08-25	25
2026-08-26	28
2026-08-27	31
2026-08-28	29
2026-08-29	30
2026-08-30	31
2026-08-31	29
2026-09-01	31
2026-09-02	30
2026-09-03	30
2026-09-04	30
2026-09-05	34
2026-09-06	26
2026-09-07	27
2026-09-08	30
2026-09-09	31
2026-09-10	34
2026-09-11	28
2026-09-12	29
2026-09-13	29

This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.

Transits, container ships, Panama Canal

Expected before the event: 8.2 transits per day
Last 7 days: 7.1
Last 28 days: 7.8 (-6%)
Average since the start: 8.0

Transits, container ships, Panama Canal, 2026-04-22 (22 April 2026) to 2026-09-13 (13 September 2026): values ranged from 4 transits per day on 2026-04-27 to 20 transits per day on 2026-07-13, with a mean of 8.0 transits per day. The latest value, for 2026-09-13, was 8 transits per day. The shaded band marks the event so far, 2026-07-01 to 2026-09-13.

Transits, container ships, Panama Canal (transits per day).
Date	transits per day
2026-04-22	8
2026-04-23	7
2026-04-24	9
2026-04-25	8
2026-04-26	10
2026-04-27	4
2026-04-28	10
2026-04-29	9
2026-04-30	9
2026-05-01	9
2026-05-02	9
2026-05-03	9
2026-05-04	10
2026-05-05	8
2026-05-06	8
2026-05-07	5
2026-05-08	7
2026-05-09	10
2026-05-10	10
2026-05-11	5
2026-05-12	4
2026-05-13	8
2026-05-14	10
2026-05-15	8
2026-05-16	8
2026-05-17	9
2026-05-18	9
2026-05-19	6
2026-05-20	8
2026-05-21	9
2026-05-22	8
2026-05-23	9
2026-05-24	7
2026-05-25	12
2026-05-26	8
2026-05-27	9
2026-05-28	8
2026-05-29	5
2026-05-30	11
2026-05-31	7
2026-06-01	7
2026-06-02	6
2026-06-03	11
2026-06-04	4
2026-06-05	7
2026-06-06	11
2026-06-07	8
2026-06-08	8
2026-06-09	10
2026-06-10	7
2026-06-11	8
2026-06-12	4
2026-06-13	8
2026-06-14	14
2026-06-15	6
2026-06-16	8
2026-06-17	9
2026-06-18	9
2026-06-19	8
2026-06-20	9
2026-06-21	6
2026-06-22	9
2026-06-23	6
2026-06-24	7
2026-06-25	8
2026-06-26	8
2026-06-27	9
2026-06-28	9
2026-06-29	6
2026-06-30	7
2026-07-01	11
2026-07-02	6
2026-07-03	7
2026-07-04	9
2026-07-05	10
2026-07-06	6
2026-07-07	8
2026-07-08	8
2026-07-09	8
2026-07-10	8
2026-07-11	7
2026-07-12	6
2026-07-13	20
2026-07-14	8
2026-07-15	6
2026-07-16	9
2026-07-17	5
2026-07-18	11
2026-07-19	5
2026-07-20	6
2026-07-21	10
2026-07-22	8
2026-07-23	9
2026-07-24	8
2026-07-25	8
2026-07-26	9
2026-07-27	9
2026-07-28	11
2026-07-29	7
2026-07-30	9
2026-07-31	7
2026-08-01	9
2026-08-02	8
2026-08-03	5
2026-08-04	7
2026-08-05	5
2026-08-06	9
2026-08-07	10
2026-08-08	7
2026-08-09	11
2026-08-10	7
2026-08-11	8
2026-08-12	6
2026-08-13	8
2026-08-14	7
2026-08-15	7
2026-08-16	12
2026-08-17	5
2026-08-18	8
2026-08-19	7
2026-08-20	8
2026-08-21	8
2026-08-22	10
2026-08-23	9
2026-08-24	8
2026-08-25	9
2026-08-26	8
2026-08-27	9
2026-08-28	5
2026-08-29	8
2026-08-30	9
2026-08-31	9
2026-09-01	9
2026-09-02	7
2026-09-03	10
2026-09-04	5
2026-09-05	6
2026-09-06	10
2026-09-07	4
2026-09-08	7
2026-09-09	6
2026-09-10	9
2026-09-11	8
2026-09-12	8
2026-09-13	8

Recent developments

2026-09-04The canal postpones the 14.48 metre step and keeps the 14.63 metre limit.
2026-08-20An advisory cuts daily Neopanamax slots to nine from 2026-09-03 and Panamax slots to 25, then 23 from 2026-09-15.
2026-08-05The canal announces further draft steps to 14.63 metres and 14.48 metres and says they do not change the number of daily transits.
2026-07-01Advisory A-22-2026 sets the maximum Neopanamax draft at 14.94 metres from 2026-07-24 and 14.78 metres from 2026-08-15.

Full record with sources, cause and measured effect. All ongoing disruptions.

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