After six quarters of decline determined by the effect of the prolonged periods of drought on the water level in the Panama Canal, traffic in the period October-December 2024 in the Central American Canal has returned to growth thanks to to the increases of +30.3% and +37.6% in recorded transits respectively in the past months of November and December compared to to the same months of 2023 when the period of greatest reduction of traffic.

In the last quarter of 2024, the channel was crossed by a total of 3,337 ships, with an increase of +20.3% on the same period of the previous year, of which 3,033 high-draft vessels (+19.7%) including 828 vessels neo-Panamax (+12.5%). The increase in the net tonnage PC/UMS of the total number of ships transited which is amounted to 122.5 million tons (+12.9%). The units ships transited in the fourth quarter of last year they transported 61.0 million tons of goods (+17.5%). The total value of transit charges paid by ships recorded a sharp increase having amounted to 942.8 million of dollars (+26.4%).

In the whole of 2024, the Panamanian canal was crossed from 11,793 ships, with a decrease of -10.8% on the previous year, of which 10,435 vessels of high draught (-11.9%) including 2,949 vessels neo-Panamax (-13.2%). The overall net tonnage figure PC/UMS of ships transited was 437.1 million tonnes (-10.0%). The total number of ships transited carried 219.4 million tonnes of goods (-16.5%) and the total of almost 3.4 billion dollars (+1.6%).