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Panama Canal Eases Restrictions: What Changes for October and November Cargo

Panama Canal restrictions are beginning to ease, but the benefit will not reach every shipment at once. Here is what the September 28 ACP advisory changes, what remains constrained, and what importers should re-check on October and November bookings.

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On September 28, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) eased two of the restrictions it imposed as El Niño cut rainfall across the canal watershed. The maximum draft in the Neopanamax locks went back up to 49 feet with immediate effect, and a tenth daily Neopanamax slot returns for booking dates from October 15.

For importers moving Asia cargo into US East Coast and Gulf ports, the easy reading is that Panama-routed sailings get faster and cheaper from mid-October. The advisory supports a narrower conclusion. The extra capacity reaches particular vessels on particular booking dates, while most current Panama surcharges took effect when draft limits were tighter than they are now or while further tightening was expected. Whether an October or November container benefits depends on the vessel it is actually on.

What the September 28 advisory changes

Advisory to Shipping A-36-2026 raises the draft limit and adds one Neopanamax slot. It also loosens the booking rules that govern who can hold those slots.

MeasureBefore the advisoryAfterEffective
Neopanamax maximum draft48.0 ft (14.63 m)49.0 ft (14.94 m)Immediately, September 28
Neopanamax daily slots910Booking dates from October 15
Panamax daily slots2323No change
Total daily slots3233Booking dates from October 15
Neopanamax slots per customerCapped per date and weekNo cap; consecutive dates allowedFrom September 29, for booking dates from October 15
Source: Panama Canal Authority Advisory to Shipping A-36-2026 (September 28, 2026) and prior ACP announcements.

The draft change reaches cargo first. A draft limit caps how much weight a vessel can carry through the locks. Raising it allows draft-constrained vessels to carry more cargo weight, reducing the amount of capacity carriers may have to leave behind. Ships already at sea were generally planned and stowed around the 48-foot restriction, so most of the benefit goes to cargo loaded from late September onward.

The new slot works differently. It is offered through Booking Period 2, which the advisory’s slot table places 14 to 8 days before the transit date, with the first competition opening October 1. That makes it relatively short-notice capacity. It gives carriers another opportunity to secure or adjust a transit relatively close to the vessel’s arrival at Panama, which can be useful when schedules have shifted.

The rule changes matter most for carriers running several Panama services. From September 29, for booking dates from October 15, there is no limit on how many Neopanamax slots one customer can win per date or week, and bookings on consecutive dates are allowed. Customers can also substitute a booked vessel with another of the same or greater capacity, and change booking dates within market segment limits.

Where the relief stops

The Panamax locks stay at 23 slots. All of the October increase is on the Neopanamax side. Panamax capacity remains at 23 daily slots, down from 25 after the September 3 first-stage cut and from 26 before the September restrictions began. Total canal capacity of 33 slots is still three below the previous 36.

The draft is back to its late-July level. 49 feet is where the Neopanamax limit sat after the July 24 reduction, before two further cuts took it to 48 feet by early September. The ACP had scheduled another cut to 47.5 feet for October 1, then postponed it on September 4.

The ACP still reports a water deficit. The advisory states that the deficit in the canal watershed continues and that the booking system remains the only way to guarantee a transit date. Vessels without a reservation may face indefinite delays. The ACP’s August measures were reported as aimed partly at protecting water supply through the January to April 2027 dry season, and El Niño is expected to persist through February 2027, as covered in our El Niño outlook for shipping. The new limits apply until further notice.

Panama surcharges remain after the partial easing

Four carriers have dedicated Panama charges on Asia to US East Coast and Gulf cargo, introduced or raised as canal restrictions tightened or further reductions were expected. At the time of writing, we had not seen any of them announce a change following the September 28 advisory.

CarrierChargeAmountScopeEffective
CMA CGMPanama Canal Adjustment FactorUSD 500 per TEUFar East to US East Coast and US Gulf via Panama; Bangladesh to US East Coast excludedSeptember 10, 2026
MSCPanama Canal SurchargeUSD 149 per 20ft, USD 297 per 40ft, USD 376 per 45ftSoutheast Asia, China, South Korea and Japan to US East Coast and US Gulf Coast; applied by gate-in dateSeptember 12, 2026
ONEPanama Canal Transit Fee (PCT)USD 150 per TEUTrans-Pacific Eastbound EC1, EC2 and EC4 services via PanamaAugust 10, 2026
Hapag-LloydPanama Canal Surcharge (PCC)USD 130 per TEUFar East to North America via PanamaSailings from August 15, 2026
Asia to US East Coast and Gulf Panama charges as published by each carrier or reported in trade press. Check current levels in your carrier’s tariff.

Hapag-Lloyd and MSC both linked their charges to draft restrictions in their notices. The Neopanamax draft limit is now higher than when those charges took effect, and both charges run until further notice with no stated review date. ONE’s charge, by comparison, took effect when the draft limit was already 49 feet.

Separately, Hapag-Lloyd is adding a USD 155 per TEU Panama Canal Charge on Oceania to US East Coast and Latin America cargo from October 17, with FMC-regulated shipments following the required notice period. It covers a different trade from the four charges above. Hapag-Lloyd announced it on September 21, before A-36-2026 was issued, although its effective date falls two days after the tenth Neopanamax slot returns.

Why the relief reaches cargo one vessel at a time

A lane-level headline says conditions at Panama have improved. Whether a particular container benefits comes down to the vessel carrying it, and several things about that vessel matter.

  • Whether it transits Panama at all. Alternative routings during severe Panama constraints can include Suez, the Cape of Good Hope or US West Coast ports with inland rail. ONE’s surcharge notice states that services routing via the canal are subject to change, so the routing quoted at booking is not guaranteed to be the one the container takes.
  • When it loaded. A vessel planned and stowed around the 48-foot restriction before September 28 may carry substantially the same load through the canal despite the higher limit.
  • Whether its transit is booked. The ACP says only a reservation guarantees a transit date. An unbooked vessel can still wait, even with one more slot a day.
  • How the carrier re-plans. With the extra slot and looser booking rules, carriers can swap vessels and move transit dates. On the container, that can appear as a changed vessel or a revised ETA.

These changes can surface on the individual container before they appear in any broader service announcement. For teams moving cargo with several carriers, tracking them means checking each booking separately.

If your team is sorting out which US East Coast and Gulf containers sit on Panama-routed vessels by checking carrier portals one booking at a time, see how ops teams track vessel changes and ETA revisions across carriers in one view.

What to re-check on October and November bookings

  • Routing on each open booking. Confirm which Asia to US East Coast and Gulf containers are on Panama-routed vessels and which are moving on another routing.
  • ETAs for vessels transiting after October 15. Watch for revised transit dates as carriers use the added slot and the relaxed booking rules.
  • Destination receiving plans. If a vessel’s transit date moves forward, confirm drayage and warehouse slots so an earlier arrival doesn’t start the free time clock before the cargo can move.
  • Panama surcharge lines against actual routing. Where a charge applies only to cargo moving via the canal, check that the container’s actual routing matches the invoice line.
  • Your carrier’s position on its Panama charge. None of the four notices sets a review date, so ask directly whether the charge will be revisited after A-36-2026.
  • New ACP advisories. The draft and slot changes apply until further notice, and the ACP has changed both several times this year.

Further Reading

Canal capacity and draft figures are from Panama Canal Authority Advisory to Shipping A-36-2026 (September 28, 2026) and ACP announcements dated August 20 and September 4, 2026, with the late-July draft level as reported by Kuehne+Nagel. Surcharge amounts, scopes and effective dates are from carrier customer notices published between July and September 2026 or as reported by Container News and Supply Chain Dive. Surcharges can change at short notice and FMC-regulated effective dates may differ; confirm against your carrier tariff or contract before quoting or auditing invoices. ACP draft and slot limits apply until further notice.

Need help interpreting this disruption or your shipment?
For a quick question, chat with Tradlinx on WhatsApp. For a deeper discussion, book a time below.

Prefer email? Contact us directly at min.so@tradlinx.com (Americas), sondre.lyndon@tradlinx.com (Europe), or henry.jo@tradlinx.com (EMEA/Asia).

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