Panama Canal shipping cuts continue as water levels drop

Drought conditions and the El Nino weather pattern are forcing the canal to limit how many ships can pass through.

The Panama Canal is in trouble. There is not enough water to keep things running like normal. Because of this, officials are cutting back on how many ships can travel through the waterway. The canal relies on fresh water from nearby lakes to lift ships up and down as they travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Lately, there hasn’t been enough rain. This is partly due to a weather pattern called El Nino, which has made the area much drier than usual. The new head of the canal says more cuts might be coming soon. This is bad news for the global shipping industry. When fewer ships ca…