O Panama Canal is desperate in searching for water so as not to die, as the decrease in rainfall due to climate change and the El Niño phenomenon threatens to dry out the route that moves almost 6% of world maritime trade.
“The big disadvantage that the Panama Canal has, as a maritime route, is the fact that we operate with fresh water, while other maritime routes [such as the Suez Canal] use seawater,” said the canal administrator, Ricaurte Vásquez, this Thursday (3).
Due to the lack of rain, the Canal has restricted the draft, the distance from the water depth to the ship's keel, which will cause a loss of 200 million dollars (R$ 975 million, at current prices) in its revenue in 2024. According to Vásquez, the projection for this year is estimated at 4.9 billion dollars (R$ 24 billion).
“We have to find solutions so that we can continue to be a relevant route for serving international trade. If we don’t adapt, then we will die”, he indicated, in a presentation to the press.
'Atypical crisis'
A few months ago, the draft was restricted to 43 feet (13.11 meters), two less than previously allowed on this route opened by the United States in 1914, and controlled by Panama since December 31, 1999.
“The severity of this crisis is atypical, very high. So we will think that, from now until September 30th of next year, we must be operating with draft restrictions,” said Vásquez.
Of the 40 ships on average that passed through the canal per day in 2022, 32 now pass through to save water, the source of energy that moves vessels in the locks. For each one, 200 million liters are released into the sea.
Since 1914, more than a million vessels have crossed the canal, whose main users are the United States, China, Japan and Chile.
Due to the shallower draft, some merchants unload hundreds of containers at the port of Balboa, in the Pacific, and load them again in Colón, in the Caribbean, after the crossing.
Containers are taken by train from one coast of Panama to another, which involves delays, but not necessarily greater costs for companies, as, although they have to pay for rail transport, the cost of tolls on the canal decreases because they carry less cargo.
Vásquez said that the merchant ship “Ever Max”, with the Singapore flag, used this modality this week, which did not prevent it from obtaining the record for the vessel with the most cargo that has ever crossed the route: 17,000 containers, with a toll of 1.5 million dollars (R$ 7.3 million).
Alternative routes
The administrator expressed that “the lack of water, measured only in terms of toll fees, already costs 200 million balboas” (dollars) less in revenue in 2024.
If the drought continues and the draft limit increases, the channel runs the risk of losing customers, because companies “can choose other routes, we know that this risk exists”, he pointed out.
“But we believe that if we find a solution relatively early, not necessarily that [the solution] is built immediately, but that the market knows that something is actually being done, this should alleviate long-term concerns,” he added.
Three cities
The lack of rain also caused an increase in salinity in the waters of the interoceanic route, which causes other inconveniences.
The canal's hydrographic basin, formed by lakes Gatún and Alhajuela and several rivers, also supplies water to three cities, including the capital, where half of the country's population lives.
“Every time we open the gate that leads to the sea, sea water mixes with fresh water and, the larger the gate […], the greater the volume of salt water that enters the system,” said Vásquez.
“We have to maintain this level of salt water within a certain range, because the potabilization plants do not have desalination capacity,” he added.
Option discarded
At the locks, vessels are raised 26 meters above sea level to cross the isthmus and are then lowered when they reach the other ocean. Water enters and leaves the huge tubs by gravity.
Despite the scarcity of fresh water, the option of the canal using seawater has been ruled out, as this would involve major excavations.
“The Suez was much flatter and it was sand. In our case, it is rock and there is a mountain range that is not very high, but there is a mountain range and this is the challenge”, explained Vásquez.
In 1881 there was the first attempt to open a canal at sea level in Panama, carried out by the Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of Suez. The work was paralyzed due to technical and financial problems and tropical diseases that killed thousands of workers.
A quarter of a century later, construction was resumed by the United States, which added the locks and took 10 years to complete the project.
Per Francisco Jara, from AFP
03/08/2023
Source: Folha de Pernambuco
https://www.folhape.com.br/noticias/canal-do-panama-busca-agua-desesperadamente-para-nao-morrer/284211/