# Panama Canal to Adopt Measures to Ensure Water Availability & Route's Reliability - Autoridad del Canal de Panamá

> The Panama Canal announced measures starting February 15 to sustain water levels at Gatun Lake after rainfall was 20 percent below average and the fifth driest year in 70 years. A freshwater surcharge applies to vessels over 125 feet LOA, with a fixed $10,000 per transit plus a variable 1-10 percent of toll depending on lake levels.

- Date: 2020-01-13 · published 2020-01-13T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region Panama · magnitude high
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/54983-panama-canal-to-adopt-measures-to-ensure-water-availability-and-route-s
- Commodities: [Ocean Grain Freight](https://feedsoft.ai/c/OCEANFRT.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Sorghum](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SORGHUM.md)

## Why it matters

Higher transit costs and possible scheduling constraints raise freight costs for grain and oilseed cargoes moving from US Gulf and Pacific Northwest to Asia, weighing on export competitiveness and widening FOB-to-delivered basis.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: bearish ▼
- CORN: bearish ▼
- SORGHUM: bearish ▼
- OCEANFRT: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2023-12-11 | [Panama Canal drought to delay grain ships well into 2024 \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32462-panama-canal-drought-to-delay-grain-ships-well-into-2024-reuters.md) | +1.0% | -0.7% |
| CORN | 2023-11-09 | [Panama Canal crisis forces US farm exports to detour through Suez](https://feedsoft.ai/events/33062-panama-canal-crisis-forces-us-farm-exports-to-detour-through-suez.md) | -1.5% | -1.0% |
| CORN | 2022-10-10 | [Mississippi River reopens to barge traffic after low water closures - U.S. Coast Guard \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16671-mississippi-river-reopens-to-barge-traffic-after-low-water-closures-u-s-coast.md) | +0.6% | -0.3% |
| CORN | 2023-06-24 | [US trade dominates Panama Canal traffic. A drought is threatening it](https://feedsoft.ai/events/35379-us-trade-dominates-panama-canal-traffic-a-drought-is-threatening-it.md) | -8.7% | -0.3% |
| CORN | 2024-08-14 | [Gas and grain ships shun Panama Canal after drought disruption](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17006-gas-and-grain-ships-shun-panama-canal-after-drought-disruption.md) | -0.7% | +0.6% |
| SOY | 2023-12-11 | [Panama Canal drought to delay grain ships well into 2024 \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32462-panama-canal-drought-to-delay-grain-ships-well-into-2024-reuters.md) | +0.9% | -4.8% |
| SOY | 2019-04-02 | [Brazilian Port Operators Seeking Ways to Reduce Panama Canal Tariffs](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59499-brazilian-port-operators-seeking-ways-to-reduce-panama-canal-tariffs.md) | +0.4% | -6.1% |
| SOY | 2026-08-21 | [Panama Canal caps lock capacity, set to boost dry bulk ton-miles \| S&P Global](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16772-panama-canal-caps-lock-capacity-set-to-boost-dry-bulk-ton-miles-s-and-p-global.md) | +2.6% | +7.7% |

## Sources

- pancanal.com: https://pancanal.com/en/panama-canal-to-adopt-measures-to-ensure-water-availability-routes-reliability/

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