Space Travel News
TRADE WARS
Drought-hit Panama Canal to ease traffic restrictions
Drought-hit Panama Canal to ease traffic restrictions
by AFP Staff Writers
Panama City (AFP) April 16, 2024

The number of ships allowed through the drought-hit Panama Canal each day will be increased thanks to signs of an improvement in water levels, authorities said Monday.

The interoceanic channel is a key transit point for international cargo, but low water levels blamed on climate change and the El Nino phenomenon last year led officials to limit the number of vessels using it.

The Panama Canal Authority said Monday that it had informed clients it would gradually allow up to 32 ships through per day, compared with a limit of 27 announced a month ago.

In 2022, it had welcomed an average of 39 ships a day.

"The management and administration of water has been very efficient," canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez told AFP.

The arrival of the rainy season was also expected to help, he added.

Restrictions on the maximum draft (water depth) of ships passing through the largest locks will be increased in mid-June to 13.71 meters (45 feet), from 13.41, authorities said.

The century-old maritime channel, which usually handles about six percent of global maritime trade, uses rainwater stored in two artificial lakes.

The canal -- used mainly by customers from the United States, China and Japan -- has a system of locks to raise and lower ships.

For each vessel that passes through it, 200 million liters of fresh water are released into the sea.

Related Links
Global Trade News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TRADE WARS
Scholz walks tightrope on trade and politics in China
Beijing (AFP) April 14, 2024
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on Sunday, kicking off a trip in which he faces a tough balancing act as he aims to shore up economic ties with Berlin's biggest trading partner. Scholz touched down in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing on Sunday morning, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said, accompanied by a large delegation of ministers and business executives. As Western allies are cranking up pressure on Beijing, Scholz is expected to underline that Germany remains committed ... read more

TRADE WARS
TRADE WARS
Exomars 2028 and the Search for Life on Mars

Looking back at Hinman Col: Sols 4146-4147

Perseverance uncovers a watery past on Mars

Continuing up the Channel: Sols 4139-4140

TRADE WARS
China's Queqiao-2 satellite marks success in recent communication tests

Japanese astronaut to be first non-American to set foot on Moon

NASA's Electrodynamic Dust Shield Enhances Lunar and Martian Missions

Astrobotic Collaborates with LZH and TU Berlin on Lunar 3D Printing Project

TRADE WARS
Assessing the ages of moons from impact craters

NASA unveils probe bound for Jupiter's possibly life-sustaining moon

Juice mission successfully tests Callisto flyby simulation

The PI's Perspective: Needles in the Cosmic Haystack

TRADE WARS
New insights into Earth's carbon cycle offer clues for habitability of other planets

Exoplanets evaluated in new light

NASA's planet-hunter TESS temporarily shuts off

First 'glory' on hellish distant world

TRADE WARS
UK Space Agency supports Rolls-Royce and BWX Technologies in developing space reactors

Aerojet Rocketdyne advances space maneuver with new propulsion tech

Private Sector Innovation and Its Impact on the Space Industry

Flight Works creates modular propulsion system for AFRL with $5.7M contract

TRADE WARS
Astronaut fitness regimes critical in Tiangong Space Station

Space Devices Ensure Health of Taikonauts Aboard Tiangong Space Station

Shenzhou 17 astronauts complete China's first in-space repair job

Tiangong Space Station's Solar Wings Restored After Spacewalk Repair by Shenzhou XVII Team

TRADE WARS
Climate warming endangers Antarctic meteorite collection

When and How to Spot the 'Devil Comet'

NEOWISE Achieves a Decade of Asteroid and Comet Surveillance from Space

Asteroid Bennu's samples available for global scientific scrutiny

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.