A drought of historic proportions in Central America has prompted the Panama Canal to impose restrictions on shipping traffic due to falling water levels in the waterway as well as the need to conserve the country's declining reserve of freshwater.
On July 22, the Panama Canal Authority (known by it's Spanish-language acronym ACP) announced a limit of 44 ft on the drafts for vessels transiting the waterway and capped the number of transits each day at 32, about 10% cut in the usual traffic for the canal. The restrictions are expected to last several months.