Panama Canal Authority Releases Fiscal Year 2009 Fourth Quarter Tonnage Numbers
October 27, 2009On October 22, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) released its fourth quarter (Q4) operational metrics for fiscal year 2009. In Q4, Canal Waters Time (CWT), the average time it takes a vessel to transit the Canal, including waiting time for passage, decreased. Additionally, total transits and net tonnage decreased slightly. These metrics are based on operations from July through September 2009, the fourth quarter of the ACP’s 2009 fiscal year (October 2008 to September 2009), and are compared with Q4 of fiscal year 2008.
Average CWT decreased 33.6%, to 17.76 hours from 26.73 hours. CWT for booked vessels (those ships holding reservations) decreased 25.2%, to 13.14 hours from 17.56 hours.
Total Canal transits decreased just 1.8%, to 3,332 transits from 3,393. Transits of supers, larger ships that require greater time and navigation skills to transit the Canal, declined 2.3%, to 1,778 transits from 1,819.
With regard to key segments, general cargo, dry bulk, and tanker transits increased, while vehicle carriers, container, and refrigerated (reefer) transits decreased.
Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) tonnage experienced a 4.8% decline, to 71.5 million PC/UMS tons from 75.1 million PC/UMS tons.
