Dozens of container ships stranded, waiting their turn. This is the image conveyed for a few weeks on social networks. Drought is the main culprit of this traffic jam. Because of the climatic conditions, the Panama Canal is no longer deep enough: the boats must therefore wait for sometimes several days.
At present, nearly 95 ships are present in the area, according to the specialized site Marine Traffic. “The seriousness of the situation and its recurrence have no historical precedent,” the authority responsible for the administration of the canal already estimated at the beginning of August. The 80 km long track, which connects the Atlantic to the Pacific, had already experienced a major drought in 2019.
Passage restrictions
To preserve the canal, which is essential to global maritime trade, the authorities have decided to apply restrictions. From the end of July, they limited the number of ships allowed to pass to 32 per day (compared to 36 under normal circumstances).
They also capped the draft, that is to say the height of the submerged part of the container ship, which varies according to the load carried. This must not exceed 13.41 meters. Some boats were therefore forced to unload some goods, at the risk of touching the bottom of the canal.
The Panama Canal, whose construction began in 1904, serves more than a hundred maritime routes. More than 13,000 boats use it each year, allowing the transit of nearly 500 million tonnes of goods. The canal therefore accommodates between 3.5% and 6% of world maritime trade, according to various estimates.