THE Panama Canal will likely keep draught restrictions to 44 feet (13.4 metres) on ships as water levels reach a four-year low, despite recent rains. reports Bloomberg.

The limit will allow passage for most vessels, though some ships like container and dry bulk carriers will have to lighten their loads, said the canal authority.

The canal authority is allowing roughly 30-31 ships per day to transit the waterway, down from 36-37 otherwise.

Allowing more transits would cause water levels to fall further at Lake Gatun, which is projected to drop to 79.5 feet by August from 79.7 feet now, the lowest since July 2019 during a previous drought.

Water from the lake is used to fill locks during transits and then washed out to sea. The freshwater lake also provides drinking water to about half of Panama's population.

The plan, combined with expected rainfall, is designed to bring lake water levels back to 84 feet by mid-November, when the next dry season is expected to begin.

The restrictions have caused longer wait times for ships crossing the canal with 59 vessels currently in line for transits, according to Panama Canal data. The canal authority will prioritise ships that booked transit slots while handling unbooked ships on a standby basis.