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Panama Canal expects to be ready for next dry spell, authority says

The Panama Canal expects to be prepared to combat a possible brand-new drought, which might hit the world's. secondlargest waterway within 4 years, by accommodating. bigger vessels, protecting dedicated passage for some ships and. expanding its water reservoirs' capacity, its chief, Ricaurte. Vasquez, stated on Monday.

The canal authority has announced a go back to 36 vessel. transits each day and an optimum draft of 50 feet (15 metres) for. vessels to pass, considered regular standards for this time of. the year, at the end of a fiscal year hit by extreme drought.

The frequency (of droughts) is faster now than it has been. in the past, Vasquez stated, including that the canal remains. rainfall-dependent.

Vasquez said within the next 4 years, Panama is likely to. see another severe drought, factoring in rain patterns and the. frequency of weather phenomena El Niño and La Niña.

The canal utilizes fresh water from rain-fed lakes to operate. its locks, which separate the seawater of the Atlantic and. Pacific oceans.

Even after drastic procedures to save water because last. year, which caused long waiting times for ships, the authority. anticipates its revenue to be in line with an objective of $4.78 billion. embeded in its budget for this fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30.

Earnings budgeted for the next beginning in. October is $5.6 billion. Active rains through November is. expected to allow an average of 34.5 transits each day, versus as. low as 24 each day this .

We will go more into a longer-term pattern of operations. compared to this disruptive year of 2024, Vasquez said.

Preparations for a $2-billion growth of one of its water. tanks, following approval by Panama's Supreme Court, are. expected to take 18 to 24 months, including engineering studies,. he stated.

I think it will be a good idea to go to the marketplace, he said. about the job's financing.

The reservoir growth, paired with slot changes to. motivate larger vessels to use the waterway and devoted. passage for some ships, including carriers of melted natural. gas, liquefied petroleum gas and cooled cargo, would permit. the canal to manage the same tonnage while avoiding hold-ups under. a water-saving system.

Panama's average tonnage per transit has actually increased to 43,000. metric loads this year from about 38,000 lots in 2023, lowering. water usage.

That is what we are trying to accomplish with the marketplace,. he added.

The canal prepares a new round of talks in September with LNG. producers and market individuals over the possibility of. protecting devoted passage to those vessels, Vasquez stated.

(source: Reuters)