Daily traffic through the Panama Canal, counted from ship AIS positions by IMF PortWatch, with the level of Gatun Lake from the Panama Canal Authority. The locks are filled with fresh water from the lake, so a dry year limits how many ships can pass and how deep they can load. In the 2023 drought the lake fell from almost 89 feet in December 2022 to about 79 feet in July. In November and December the canal authority cut the daily booking slots to 25 and then 22, and traffic fell to about 18 ships a day in January 2024. The lake only refilled in the second half of 2024. In 2026 El Niño brought a new rainfall deficit, the lake dropped to about 84 feet, and from 15 September the slots were capped at 32.
Source: Data: IMF PortWatch daily chokepoint transits, derived from AIS; Panama Canal Authority, Gatun Lake level
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