Panama Canal opens long-term slot auctions to the Panamax locks for 2027
A pilot offers 288 Panamax slots for the dry season, beside 270 in the established Neopanamax programme
The Panama Canal is extending its long-term slot allocation programme to the Panamax locks for the first time. The new phase of the programme, known as LoTSA, covers 3 January to 3 April 2027, the canal's dry season, and was announced by the Panama Canal Authority on 5 October.
LoTSA lets customers secure transit slots months in advance rather than booking through the regular reservation system and auctions. Until now it applied only to the Neopanamax locks, the larger chambers.
How many slots are on offer?
The Neopanamax programme continues with 36 packages totalling 270 slots, 165 northbound and 105 southbound. That is equivalent to three transits a day across the different packages, and it will be competed for in a sealed-bid round on 17 November 2026.
The new Panamax pilot offers 51 packages totalling 288 slots, 147 northbound and 141 southbound. That is also equivalent to three daily transits over the period, under a single flexibility level. Its competition takes place on 24 November 2026.
The authority said the programme is meant to give customers "greater predictability when planning their operations" during the dry season, making it easier to fix itineraries and plan logistics around a transit that is already booked. Capacity not sold through LoTSA stays available through the regular reservation system and the transit slot auctions.
For Panamax operators the pilot is the first chance to lock in dry-season transits before the period starts. The two competitions close a week apart, and both fall more than a month before the first slots are used.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 6 October 2026.
