Panama Canal tightens transit slots to 34 daily from Sept 3, 32 from Sept 15

Summary

The Panama Canal Authority cut daily vessel transits from 36 to 34 slots on 3 September and will reduce them to 32 from 15 September, while Neopanamax draft limits tightened to 48 feet and will fall to 47.5 feet on 1 October. With Neopanamax capacity capped at nine slots a day, US East Coast and all-water Asia-US routing faces tighter space and sustained surcharges through the peak season.