Journal · 23 October 2026 · 1 min read

Panama Canal — transits and tonnage up for fiscal year 2026

Per the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), in results published October 21, 2026, fiscal year 2026 (October 2025-September 2026) saw 13,951 vessel transits — up 4.1% from 13,404 a year earlier. Total tonnage reached 521 million PC/UMS tons, up 6.5% from 489.2 million. Neopanamax locks carried 52.2% of total tonnage, with volume through those locks up 8.2% year over year. Revenue for the year came to roughly $6.6bn (+16.6%; figures still unaudited), which the canal attributes to energy-sector demand, solid containership performance, and shifting trade patterns.

The growth comes alongside continued water-balance management: the canal held the maximum draft at 50 feet through the dry season, and from October 15 raised daily booking capacity to 33 slots, including 10 for Neopanamax vessels, while reinstating the Last-Minute Reservation service for Panamax locks — a move our digest already covered earlier this week. Even so, the authority warns that the ongoing water deficit in the watershed could force further restrictions, particularly if El Niño intensifies.

Canal Administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta, speaking on a conference call hosted by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said the canal is "far from restricting trade flows" and instead facilitates international maritime trade. For carriers and forwarders planning routes through the canal, that's a moderately reassuring signal for the coming months — with the caveat that a guaranteed transit date still comes only from the booking system, not from overall capacity growth.

Source: Panama Canal Authority (pancanal.com) and gCaptain, Oct 21, 2026 — https://pancanal.com/en/panama-canal-reports-growth-in-transits-and-tonnage-in-fiscal-year-2026/