As many as 24 vessels will be permitted to pass
through the system daily, up from 22 currently, the canal authority said in a
statement Friday 15 Dec.
A powerful El
Nino has reduced rainfall in the region, sapping the canal’s water levels. The situation has forced shippers to decide whether to wait in line
for days or weeks, pay millions of dollars to jump ahead in the queue,
or sail an entire continent out of the way around the southern tips
of Africa and South America.
Rainfall in the canal region dropped to a record low
in October, prompting authorities to restrict traffic on the system for the
first time. Levels on Lake Gatun,
which forms a key stretch of the canal and provides fresh water for its locks,
remain below expected levels.