PANAMA CANAL
Traffic volumes increased by 0.6% in the 3rd Q of 2008
NOV, 12.2008
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced that in the 3rd Q 2008, total Canal transits increased by 0.6% from 3,374 to 3,393 transits. Booked transits (excluding auctioned slots) rose 8.5%, from 1,884 to 2,044 transits, while the transit tonnage dropped slightly by 0.4%, from 75.4m PC/UMS tons to 75.1m PC/UMS tons.
Tanker transits rose 11.6%, from 475 to 530 transits, while passenger vessels’ transits increased 25%. Similarly, tanker tonnage rose 18.4%, from 9.7m to 11.5m PC/UMS tons, and passenger vessels’ tonnage increased 4.2%. Vehicle carriers decreased by 6.2% in transits and by 5.2% in tonnage, while dry bulk increased by 2% in transits and 4.9% in tonnage.
The average time to transit the Canal (including waiting time for passage), decreased nearly 10% to 26.73 hours from 29.61 hours. For booked transits also dropped from 17.63 hours to 17.56 hours.
The accident rate was 0.29 accidents per 1,000 transits, down from 0.89 accidents per 1,000 transits.
