Topic
Panama Canal
Every Vessel Hunter story on Panama Canal: 26 stories, from 9 June 2026 to 7 October 2026. Newest: "Black Sea sinkings, Hormuz strikes, Japan names 35 ships". Each story links to the ships and ports it names, so a name in the text opens the record behind it.
Black Sea sinkings, Hormuz strikes, Japan names 35 ships
The Maritime Briefing of 6 October 2026: Alfa Watan and Royad Mammadov sunk by drones, five Hormuz incidents, Japan's first ship sanctions and a $117m VLCC resale.
Panama Canal opens long-term slot auctions to the Panamax locks for 2027
The Panama Canal is extending its long-term slot programme to the Panamax locks for the first time, offering 288 slots for January to April 2027.
This Week in Maritime: Gulf crude is back, and tankers are still being hit
Gulf oil exports returned to prewar volumes while four more tankers were struck in Hormuz, Somali pirates killed five crew, the ZIM review restarted and shipping earnings set a third record.
Maritime Briefing of 4 October 2026
Four tankers struck around Hormuz, five seafarers killed on Honour 25, Israel closes the ZIM review, Damen's €4.7bn claim, CMES's Simandou deal and a deeper Panama Canal.
Panama Canal raises neopanamax draught to 49 feet and adds a daily slot
The Panama Canal has restored a 49-foot maximum draught in the neopanamax locks and will return to ten daily neopanamax transits from 15 October, as near-average rain eases its water deficit.
Panama Canal Budgets 29.5 Deep-Draft Transits a Day for FY2027
The Panama Canal is budgeting for 10,750 deep-draft transits in FY2027, an average of 29.5 a day, while tightening booking slots and postponing a planned draught reduction.
Bulk Carriers Are Spending Almost 20% Longer at Sea Than They Did in 2020
Laden bulk carrier voyages averaged 22.42 days in June, 19.1% longer than in January 2020, while laden speeds slipped to 10.67 knots, quietly removing effective capacity from a rising fleet.
Maritime Briefing of 9 September 2026
The day in shipping: the Consultative Shipping Group warns of a two-tier system, Espino de Marotta takes over a dry Panama Canal, and Hapag-Lloyd gets 30 days to rework its Zim bid.
Espino de Marotta Takes Charge of a Panama Canal Running Short of Water
Ilya Espino de Marotta has taken office for a seven-year term at the Panama Canal, with rainfall 34% below average and daily transit capacity falling to 32 ships from 15 September.
Maritime Briefing of 8 September 2026
The day in shipping: Rosneft opens its Arctic export terminal, fire hits the icebreaker Admiral Makarov, Panama defers a draft cut, and a sanctioned roro is struck off Crete.
Panama Canal Postpones Neopanamax Draft Cut for a Second Time
The Panama Canal Authority has again deferred a planned reduction in Neopanamax draft, holding the maximum at 14.63 metres as Gatun Lake levels stay steady.
US East Coast Box Rates Break $10,000 as Panama Cuts Daily Transits Again
The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index reached a 25-month high of 3,509.53 points, with Shanghai to US East Coast rates breaching $10,000 per FEU for the first time since 2022.
Record 4.3m TEU Waiting for a Berth as Typhoons Hit Chinese Ports Again
Global container congestion has passed the Covid-era peak, with stranded capacity equal to 12.6 percent of the world container fleet.
Panama Canal Loosens Booking Rules to Stretch Shrinking Transit Capacity
From booking dates beginning 13 September the canal will offer 63 neopanamax slots a week and guarantee minimum allocations to containerships, gas carriers, bulkers and vehicle carriers.
Panama Canal Sets Out 2025-2035 Plan as Drought Cuts Draught to 48 Feet
The Panama Canal Authority is advancing a 2025-2035 vision plan built around two new container terminals and a cross-isthmus pipeline, as drought pushes the maximum draught down to 48 feet.
SK Gas Pays Record $5.3m for a Single Panama Canal Transit Slot
SK Gas has paid $5.3m for the right to move the LPG carrier G. Spirit through the Panama Canal on 1 September, setting the second Korean transit-slot record in a month.
Container Port Congestion Hits Record 4.3m Teu Waiting to Berth
Congestion has removed more than 4.3m teu of capacity from circulation, surpassing the pandemic peak in absolute terms and keeping freight and charter rates elevated.
SBM Offshore Delivers Trion Turret Buoy From China to Mexico
SBM Offshore has shipped a disconnectable turret mooring buoy and related equipment from China to Altamira, Mexico, for the $10.4bn Trion oil development in the Gulf of Mexico.
Panama Canal to Cut Daily Transit Slots From September as Rainfall Falls Short
The Panama Canal will reduce daily transit slots from 3 September after below-expected rainfall in its watershed, reorganising bookings into four cargo-type auction groups.
Panama Canal Cuts Daily Transits to 32 From September 3
Daily transits drop from 34 to 32 on September 3 and fall again on September 15, with unbooked ships already waiting more than eight days to get through.
Carriers Raise Panama Canal Surcharges as Gatun Lake Falls
Falling water levels at Gatun Lake have brought stricter draft restrictions, and CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC have all announced significant Panama Canal surcharges.
Panama Canal LNG Transits Reach A Near Three-Year High
Eleven laden liquefied natural gas carriers passed through the Panama Canal in July, up from six the previous month and the highest monthly figure since late 2023, before drought-related draft restrictions and transit caps drove gas
Panama Canal Slot Auction Prices Climb As Queue Lengthens
Auction prices for Panama Canal transit slots have climbed towards four million dollars as the waiting queue lengthens and lake levels continue to fall.
Panama Canal Cuts Neopanamax Draft To 47.5 Feet As Gatun Lake Falls
The Panama Canal will cut the maximum draft allowed through the neopanamax locks to 47.5 feet in two stages from September as Gatun Lake levels keep falling.
Panama Canal tightens neopanamax draught limits again
ño over the watershed in the months ahead. It said lake levels and projections would be monitored, with more adjustments if needed. This is not yet a repeat of the severe 2023-24 drought restrictions that slashed bookin…
Panama Canal trims vessel draft, reviving memories of the drought crisis
The Panama Canal Authority will cut the neopanamax draft limit to 49.5 ft from 3 July, citing Gatun Lake levels and El Niño risk and reviving 2023-24 drought fears.
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