The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) could reduce the maximum authorised vessel draught for its largest locks to 44 feet by the summer of 2027, depending on rainfall levels, incoming administrator Ilya Espino said at an event on Tuesday.
The canal is not currently considering reducing the number of vessel transits allowed per day, she added.
The authority has said it would lower the maximum draught for vessels transiting its larger neo-Panamax locks as part of water-conservation measures. Shippers were informed that the maximum draught would be reduced from 50 feet to 49.5 feet on July 3, to 49 feet on July 24 and to 48.5 feet on August 15.
The measures are part of a water-management strategy aimed at safeguarding operations ahead of the risk of an El Niño weather pattern later this year.
Draught restrictions limit how deeply vessels can sit in the water, which could force some ships to reduce cargo loads before transiting the canal.
Espino, who is due to take the post for the 2026-2033 period, said the authority was still assessing expected rainfall levels.
"We have to prepare for next summer," she said. "If El Niño affects rainfall through December, we could end up with a situation similar to 2023."
That year, a severe drought forced the canal to sharply reduce both vessel draught limits and traffic through the waterway.
Disruptions to shipping through the Suez Canal linked to the Middle East conflict have boosted demand for passage through Panama this year. Still, Espino said the canal is currently handling 36 to 37 daily transits through its locks, compared with 40 to 41 transits several months ago.
(Reporting by Elida Moreno and Marianna Parraga; Editing by Kylie Madry)
