Draft adjustment and modifications to booking system

Based on the present and projected level of Gatun Lake for the upcoming weeks, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announces that effective immediately, the maximum authorized draft allowed for vessels transiting the Neopanamax Locks will be 15.24 m (49.0 feet) TFW.

Additionally, for booking dates beginning September 1, 2024, the ACP announces an increase in the total number of daily booking slots to 36, in a distribution of 10 slots for Neopanamax, 20 for Super and 6 for Regular vessels. Effective August 18, 2024, the procedure regarding the slot allocation in the Panamax Locks, will be as follows:

1. An additional booking slot for Supers will be offered in period 2, for booking dates beginning on September 1, 2024.
2. A Super booking slot previously offered during Booking Period 2 will be transferred to Booking Period 1 and will be offered at the opening of the First Period Competition for booking dates beginning on November 16, 2024.
3. No more than ten (10) supers may be booked for transit in each direction for booking dates beginning with the tiebreaker competition at the opening of Period 2 for September 1, 2024. Nevertheless, depending on the vessel mix, whenever all slots in one direction have been allocated during the Second Period Competition and there are still slots available in the opposite direction, an additional slot may be allocated to interested vessels in the direction with no slot availability. The limit in the number of vessels with daylight restrictions per
direction in the Panamax Locks, published in the Advisory to Shipping A-12-2024, will remain in effect.

In addition, the temporary measure regarding the customer ranking announced in Advisory to Shipping No. A-05-2024 is hereby being suspended. Therefore, the customer ranking to be published on September 1, 2024, will be based on the rules established in OP Notice to Shipping N-07-2024 (Rev.1). The ACP continues the evaluation of metrics and rules to be applied as tiebreakers in the Transit Reservation System slots competition and will announce any changes in a timely manner.

Furthermore, the limitation in the number of daily slots that may be awarded to each customer (per customer code) announced in Advisory to Shipping A-54-2023 and effective since January 16, 2024, is being modified to allow two (2) daily booking slots per customer, per booking date, in the Panamax and Neopanamax Locks, for booking dates beginning August 23, 2024. Slots awarded through the auction process are excluded from this limitation.

The following exceptions will apply to the Neopanamax Locks:
1. Slots that cannot be allocated to other participating vessels during the tiebreaker competition, due to exceeding the established limits per customer, per direction and/or restriction, in which case the Customer Ranking will be used as the tiebreaker to allocate the slot.
2. If there are no other interested vessels during the tiebreaker competitions.
3. If there are booking slots still available after the closing of the tiebreaker or special competitions. In such cases, the available booking slots will be awarded to any customer submitting their booking request, on a first-come, first-served basis

The following rules will apply to the Panamax Locks:
1. Slots awarded in Period 1 will not be taken into consideration for the two daily booking slots limitation.
2. Customers that are awarded a slot during Period 2 tiebreaker competition may not be assigned a slot for another vessel during the tiebreaker competition for the following day.
3. Customers that are awarded two slots during Period 2 competitions may not be assigned a slot for another vessel during subsequent special competitions held during Period 2.
4. Slots that cannot be allocated during Period 2 competitions may be assigned to customers that have already obtained slots for other vessels in Period 2, in which case the slot will be allocated based on the Customer Ranking.
5. If there are no other interested vessels during the tiebreaker or special competitions, these slots may be assigned to any vessel, regardless of customer code based on the Customer Ranking.

Take note of a correction to the information published in the Advisory to Shipping A-25-2024, regarding the maximum number of slots that may be allocated during all Booking Periods per direction and restriction including the LoTSA (Long Term Slots Allocation method), as follows:
1. No more than four (4) Neopanamax vessels may be booked for transit in the northbound direction, and of these, no more than one (1) with daylight restriction.
2. Similarly, no more than four (4) Neopanamax vessels may be booked for transit in the southbound direction, and of these, no more than one (1) with daylight restriction.
3. Slots sold during Booking Period 3 and the conditioned slot will be excluded from this limitation.

(For information about operations in Panama, contact GAC Panama at [email protected])

Source: Extract from Panama Canal Authority Advisory to Shipping No. A-28-2024 dated 15 August 2024