Panama Canal cuts ship passages as El Niño dries its water supply

The Panama Canal has started limiting daily ship passages after lower rainfall left less water in the reservoirs that operate its locks. This is not simply a traffic-management problem: each vessel lifted through the locks uses freshwater, so a dry spell directly reduces the canal’s capacity. The operator has cut available daily slots to 34 and plans to lower them to 32 by mid-September, from 36 previously. With roughly 5% of global seaborne trade using this shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific, a prolonged shortage could mean longer waits, pricier bookings, or rerouted cargo—another reminder that a major trade corridor depends on a local water system.