Panama Canal postponed both draft cuts but cut Neopanamax slots to nine

Update, 1 October 2026: the 1 October cut did not go ahead

On 28 September 2026 (advisory ADV-36-2026) ACP raised the maximum Neopanamax draft to 14.94 m (49.0 feet), effective immediately and until further notice. The advisory does not mention the cut to 14.48 m (47.5 feet) scheduled for 1 October; because the new maximum is above that limit, we read the cut as not going ahead. We did not check whether the 2 September cut to 14.63 m took effect before the increase. ACP also said Neopanamax daily transits rise to 10 from 15 October 2026 (they were nine under its 4 September advisory), for 33 daily slots across the Neopanamax and Panamax locks, citing near-average rainfall in the watershed and its water-saving measures, while saying a water deficit continues. The booking system remains the only way to guarantee a transit date.

Draft cuts pushed back

ACP postponed the maximum authorized draft of 14.63 metres (48.0 feet) TFW at the Neopanamax Locks from 26 August 2026 to 2 September 2026. The second cut, to 14.48 metres (47.5 feet) TFW, moved from 3 September 2026 to 1 October 2026. ACP attributed the postponement to "the current level of Gatun Lake and the latest weather projections," per the advisory. For exporters and forwarders, this bought extra weeks at the deeper draft before the tighter limit was due, and was the more favourable half of that advisory.

Booking slots cut regardless

The postponement does not extend to booking capacity. Effective 21 August 2026, for booking dates beginning 4 September 2026, ACP cut daily Neopanamax Locks slots to nine, with only one slot offered in Booking Period 2 (14 to 8 days out) and the Conditioned slot category unavailable in that window. Daily Panamax Locks slots drop to 25 over the same period, then to 23 from 15 September 2026 for booking dates from that date, with eight slots reserved for Super vessels in Booking Period 2 and a cap of nine Supers bookable per direction.

We could not confirm the prior daily Neopanamax slot count from ACP's advisory, which states only the new figure of nine. Readers should treat any pre-cut baseline cited elsewhere as reported but unverified until ACP publishes it directly.

A watershed problem, not a one-off

ACP's stated cause is hydrological, not operational. Cumulative rainfall across the Canal watershed for the May-to-August 2026 hydrological year ran 34% below the historical average, with watershed inflows 44% below average for the same period, according to the advisory. ACP also flags a forecast severe 2026-2027 El Nino event that could further reduce precipitation and runoff through the rest of the wet season, raising what it calls concerns over water availability into the January-to-April 2027 dry season. That was the August framing, which extended the risk window well past that booking cycle; the 28 September advisory cites near-average rainfall but still reports a continuing water deficit.