# Tankers undercut grain ships in Panama Canal: queues have increased significantly — EADaily, April 22nd, 2026 — Politics, Russia

> Tanker operators are paying priority fees of $3 million to $4 million to pass the Panama Canal, pushing grain ships with cheaper cargoes into longer queues. US oil exports through the canal exceeded 200,000 barrels per day in early April, near the highest since July 2022, as Asian refineries shift away from Persian Gulf supply.

- Date: 2026-04-22 · published 2026-04-22T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16869-tankers-undercut-grain-ships-in-panama-canal-queues-have-increased
- Commodities: [Ocean Grain Freight](https://feedsoft.ai/c/OCEANFRT.md), [Crude Oil (WTI)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WTI.md)

## Why it matters

Canal queues favor high-value energy cargoes over grain, which raises waiting times and freight costs for grain ships on the US Gulf to Asia route.

## Read by commodity

- WTI: neutral
- OCEANFRT: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WTI | 2022-02-28 | [Shipping ponders response to Russo-Ukraine conflict - Hong Kong Maritime Hub](https://feedsoft.ai/events/42608-shipping-ponders-response-to-russo-ukraine-conflict-hong-kong-maritime-hub.md) | +26.3% | +25.9% |
| WTI | 2026-05-14 | [Panama Canal transit auction fees rise to US$4 million](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16856-panama-canal-transit-auction-fees-rise-to-us-4-million.md) | +3.8% | -9.8% |
| WTI | 2017-09-01 | [Inter Continent Trading: Tankers: Persian Gulf vs Red Sea freight premium disappears as Harvey disrupts trade](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68843-inter-continent-trading-tankers-persian-gulf-vs-red-sea-freight-premium.md) | +0.4% | +9.4% |
| WTI | 2021-03-26 | [Suez Canal crisis: Here are the cargoes in the crossfire - FreightWaves](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48030-suez-canal-crisis-here-are-the-cargoes-in-the-crossfire-freightwaves.md) | +5.0% | +6.3% |
| WTI | 2021-09-30 | [China's farmers face more pain as power crunch drives up feed costs \| Financial Post](https://feedsoft.ai/events/45065-china-s-farmers-face-more-pain-as-power-crunch-drives-up-feed-costs-financial.md) | +3.5% | +10.2% |

## Sources

- eadaily.com: https://www.eadaily.com/en/news/2026/04/22/tankers-undercut-grain-ships-in-panama-canal-queues-have-increased-significantly

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.