Panama Canal beats record load thanks to Ormuz and despite El Niño

O Panama Canal broke the annual freight traffic record, driven by problems in the Strait of Ormuz, and despite the break in maritime traffic caused by the drought caused by El Niño.

About 521 million tonnes of goods were transported through the Panama Canal in the last fiscal year (from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026), on board almost 14,000 ships, according to data from the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).

The United States and China are the main users of this 80-kilometre-long route, through which 5% of world maritime trade is estimated.

“The channel has registered, throughout the year, a ‘boom’ in maritime traffic due to difficulties in circulation in the Strait of Ormuz,” France-Presse told the news agency the channel’s director, Ilya Espino de Marotta.

Since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, at the end of February, the Panama Canal has increased the number of daily transits from 36 to 41 “during a certain period” in order to facilitate the passage of ships seeking a safe alternative for the transport of hydrocarbons, he added.

An increase that helped compensate for the further reduction in the number of passes, which the Central American channel had to implement due to the scarcity of rain.

The waterway operates thanks to fresh water stored in two artificial lakes, whose levels decreased as a result of the drought caused by the climate phenomenon El Niño.

Consequently, since early September, the number of daily crossings has been gradually reduced, from 36 to 32, before being adjusted to 33 thanks to an increase in the volume of water available by rain.

The impact of El Niño was really felt only during the last four months of the fiscal year, said Espino de Marotta.

The previous channel traffic record had been set during the fiscal year 2022, when 518 million tonnes passed through its waters.