AmericasOperations

Panama Canal will lift restrictions so more LNG vessels can transit

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said it will open its locks to allow more liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers to transit the inter-oceanic waterway.

ACP said it will lift daylight and encounter restrictions on LNG ships, effective from October 1.

Lifting daylight restrictions means LNG ships will be allowed to transit the locks at night time.

And lifting encounter restrictions will allow two LNG vessels to transit the Canal in different directions on the same day.

The reason for the move is that ACP anticipates LNG business to increase by 50% year-on-year by the end of 2018.

Earlier in the week, the Panama Canal marked the two-year anniversary of inaugurating its expansion, when a third set of locks began operation. That has allowed bigger ships than before to make the crossing of the Central American isthmus.

Donal Scully

With 28 years experience writing and editing for newspapers in the UK and Hong Kong, Donal is now based in California from where he covers the Americas for Splash as well as ensuring the site is loaded through the Western Hemisphere timezone.
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