Americas News
Planned Maintenance on Panama Canal in Early September
The Panama Canal is about to undergo two weeks of maintenance that may cause delays in the region early next month.
Planned maintenance will be carried out at the canal's Miraflores Locks from August 29 to September 10, price reporting agency S&P Global Platts reported on Thursday, citing shipping sources with knowledge of the matter..
The maintenance is likely to severely reduce canal capacity and cause delays for "days, if not weeks after completion," Platts cited the source as saying.
Customers are advised to book transit through the waterway at least 25-30 days in advance.
A canal authority representative told Ship & Bunker that the maintenance plan was tentative for now, with final confirmation coming about seven days before the start, and that there would be no changes to the total number of transit bookings offered.
Previous maintenance at the canal has caused delays of up to two weeks for ships without prior booking of their transit.
