The Panama Canal Port Authority has released an advisory to shipping
Published by Oliver Kleinschmidt,
Editorial Assistant
Dry Bulk,
On 25 November 2023, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) offered, on a temporary basis, a special auction slot in the panamax locks. The additional slot was offered depending on the level of Gatun Lake and rainfall projections for the upcoming weeks. The purpose of the measure was to provide greater opportunity of obtaining a slot for vessels in the panamax locks that have been waiting in the transit queue for an extended period.
This special auction was available to all supers and regular vessels that have already arrived at Canal waters, have been in the transit queue for at least 10 days from the date the auction was held, and did not have a booking slot. The auction would normally be announced three days prior to the transit date and will be held two days prior to the transit date. The initial bid for the auction will be US$55 000.
The first special auction under this measure was held on 25 November 2023, for the transit date of 27 November 2023. For the auction, only vessels that arrived prior to 0000 hours on 17 November 2023, and that have not acquired booking slot, were be eligible to participate.
Other modifications to the Transit Reservation System rules were:
- Slots that become available during Booking Period Three may be offered through extraordinary auctions, depending on several factors, including Gatun Lake water level, transit date advancement requests, and operational considerations.
- Effective immediately, only transit date advancement requests from full containers with 14 days or less between the booking date and the transit date requested will be considered. However, requests for transit advancement of full container vessels that have already obtained a booking slot prior to the publication of this advisory will be considered.
- Effective immediately, and for a limited time, supers and neopanamax vessels with High Mast Lighting designator 'C' (HML-C) may be substituted by vessels with High Mast Lighting designator 'Y' (HML-Y). This measure is being implemented on a temporary basis to provide greater flexibility while the limitation to the daily transits remains in effect.
- The substitution fee applicable to vessels awarded an auctioned slot will be based on the vessel’s regular booking fee and not the winning bid amount.
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Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/ports-terminals/27112023/the-panama-canal-port-authority-has-released-an-advisory-to-shipping/
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