The current wait time for ships transiting the Panama Canal is four days or less, a 60% cut compared to its peak caused by an unseasonably high demand, The Panama Canal Authority reports.
According to the authority, the number of ships awaiting transit has also been decreased by 40 percent.
In order to accommodate unseasonably high demand, the authority has taken a number of steps to expedite traffic and decrease the waiting time.
As World Maritime News reported , the measures included postponing non-critical maintenance work at the locks, modifying booking system, cancelling draft restrictions, and assigning additional operations personnel to help expedite traffic, decrease waiting time and reduce the current backlog of vessels.