The managers of the Panama Canal said they expect income from the waterway to drop after authorities were forced to limit the number of ships passing through each to 32 due to a lack of rainfall.

Ricaurte Vásquez, the canal’s administrator, said Thursday that income in 2024 could drop by as much as $200 million because of the drought.

The canal implemented a measure Sunday capping the number of ships passing through its locks daily to a maximum of 32, compared to 36 to 38 under normal operation.

Not enough rain has fallen to feed the watershed system of rivers and brooks that fill lakes, whose waters in turn fill the locks.

The watershed also supplies freshwater to Panama City, home to about half the country’s population of 4 million.

The canal had expected to earn about $4.9 billion in fees next year before the measures were announced.

Share:
More In Business
Pop-Tart Inventor William Post Dead at 96
The self-proclaimed "only Post who worked at Kellogg" was a military veteran who fought in World War II before inventing everyone’s favorite fruit-filled breakfast ravioli.
Many Lab-Grown Diamonds Have Cloudy Sustainability Claims
Lab-created diamonds come with sparkling claims: that they are ethically made by machines running on renewable energy. But many don't live up to these claims or don't respond to questions about their electricity sources, and lab diamonds require a lot of electricity.
Load More