Record High in Cargo Movements
The Panama Canal set a record in commercial cargo transit movements during the last fiscal year, with a transit volume of 521 million tons on board approximately 14,000 ships. These figures were recorded during the period from October 2025 to the end of September 2026, surpassing the previous record of 518 million tons set during the 2022 fiscal year, amid rising demand for transport through the canal due to disruptions in international navigation and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Climatic Challenges and Fluctuations in Transit Numbers
The Canal's General Director, Elia Espino de Marotta, clarified that ship transit activity flourished throughout the year, following disruptions in transport through the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20 percent of global oil and gas supplies pass under normal conditions. To cope with increased demand, the Canal administration raised the number of daily transits from 36 to 41 for a period, before being forced to reduce it to 32 transits per day earlier this month, due to drought caused by a lack of rainfall.
Importance of the Canal and Dependence on Water
The Canal relies on water stored in two artificial lakes to operate its transit system, while periods of drought and the El Niño climate phenomenon increase pressure on its water resources. Approximately 5 percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, and its importance stems from connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, allowing ships to shorten sea voyage distances and costs compared to alternative routes, although its ability to increase transit operations remains linked to the availability of fresh water needed to operate the locks.
Espino de Marotta added that the Canal managed, despite harsh climatic conditions, to support the maritime shipping sector at a time when it needed to increase the volume of goods transported through it, pointing out the importance of other sea routes in reorganizing international trade movements amid disruptions in navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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