# Panama Canal imposes freshwater levy as lake levels drop – Professional Mariner

> The Panama Canal Authority imposed a freshwater surcharge of $10,000 for vessels over 125 feet, with a variable fee of 1 to 10 percent of tolls depending on Gatun Lake levels. The canal also cut daily reservation slots from 32 to 27 while it conserves water during historically low lake levels. The International Chamber of Shipping criticized the surcharge.

- Date: 2020-06-02 · published 2020-06-02T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region Panama · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/52533-panama-canal-imposes-freshwater-levy-as-lake-levels-drop-professional-mariner
- Commodities: [Ocean Grain Freight](https://feedsoft.ai/c/OCEANFRT.md)

## Why it matters

Higher transit costs and fewer slots raise ocean freight costs on routes through the canal, including US Gulf routes, which can widen freight disadvantages for exporters and lift grain and feed shipping rates.

## Read by commodity

- OCEANFRT: bullish ▲

## Sources

- professionalmariner.com: https://professionalmariner.com/panama-canal-imposes-freshwater-levy-as-lake-levels-drop/

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