Drought may impact canal shipping

 
738Views 0Comments Posted 08/08/2015

PANAMA’S increasing water problems could also affect one of the country’s vital income sources.The lack of rain in the watershed of the Panama Canal has led the administration to analyze the possiblity of reducing the number of ships passing through the waterway,

Restrictions could include prohibiting larger vessels from using the Canal.
The vast majority of the ships using the canal would not be affected, including cruise ships and boats carrying refrigerated cargo. However, more ships could be impacted if the drought continues.
The level of Gatun Lake on Thursday fell to 80 feet, though it later rose to 84 feet. The minimum depth required for operation of the Canal is 79 feet.