Scheduled maintenance at Miraflores Locks

15 Jul 2024 / Panama Canal, Panama

Beginning at 0001 hours on Saturday, August 3, 2024, until 2359 hours on Sunday, August 4, 2024 (two days), the East Lane at Miraflores Locks will be out of service due to concrete maintenance to be performed on the East Southend approach wall.

During this period, and in accordance with the rules governing the Transit Reservation System, a reduction in the number of slots available to supers and regular vessels will be implemented. During Booking Period 2, five booking slots will be offered to supers and no booking slots will be offered to regular vessels. No booking slots will be offered during Booking Period 3 for supers and regulars. The total number of slots available to supers and regulars will be 13 and 3 respectively. Applications for reserved transit slots while this condition is in effect will be received at the opening of the 2nd Period Competition on July 20 and 21, 2024, for booking dates from August 3 to August 4, 2024. The Just-In-Time (JIT) transit slots available for supers, as well as regular vessels transiting without restrictions, will remain in one (1) per direction. Previously published rules regarding the Transit Advancement Service, as well as the slots that are carried over from previous periods or become available due to cancelations or other reasons will still apply during the maintenance period.

The following table summarizes the slot distribution per Booking Period for the Panamax and Neopanamax Locks for booking dates from August 3, 2024, to August 4, 2024:

NEOPANAMAX
- Special Period: 1
- Period 1 (90 days): 2
- Period 1A (30-15 days): 3
- Period 2 (14-8 days): 2*
- Period 3 (Auctions) (7-2 days): 1
Total: 9
(*Includes the “conditioned” slot)

SUPERS
- Special Period: 3
- Period 1 (90 days): 5
- Period 1A (30-15 days): N/A
- Period 2 (14-8 days): 5
- Period 3 (Auctions) (7-2 days): 0
Total: 13

REGULARS
- Special Period: 2
- Period 1 (90 days): 1
- Period 1A (30-15 days): N/A
- Period 2 (14-8 days): 0
- Period 3 (Auctions) (7-2 days): 0
Total: 3

TOTAL
- Special Period: 6
- Period 1 (90 days): 8
- Period 1A (30-15 days): 3
- Period 2 (14-8 days): 7
- Period 3 (Auctions) (7-2 days): 1
Total: 25

Additionally, during the maintenance period, of the total number of slots available to supers, no more than seven (7) supers may be booked for transit in each direction, and of these, no more than two (2) with daylight restrictions per direction. The combined number of daylight restricted vessels shall not exceed four (4) vessels. Similarly, no more than two (2) regular vessels may be booked for transit per direction, and of these, no more than one (1) may be allocated to vessels transiting with restrictions per direction for a total of one (1) vessel with restriction per transit date.

(For information about operations in Panama, contact GAC Panama at [email protected])

Source: Panama Canal Authority Advisory To Shipping No. A-22-2024

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