日本海事新聞ニュース Japan Maritime Daily Jun 10, 2026 (Wed)

Panama Canal Pushed to Absolute Capacity Limit as Geopolitical Energy Shifts Trigger Severe Tanker Bottlenecks

　Due to the worsening situation in the Middle East, energy exports from the United States have incre ・・・ 続きはログインして下さいnext %E3%80%80Due+to+the+worsening+situation+in+the+Middle+East%2C+energy+exports+from+the+United+States+have+increased%2C+pushing+traffic+through+the+%3Cb%3EPanama+Canal%3C%2Fb%3E+up+to+a+level+close+to+its+maximum+transit+capacity.+Waiting+times+for+passage+have+also+lengthened.+Furthermore%2C+%E2%80%9Can+El+Nino+event+that+may+occur+in+the+second+half+of+2026+could+disrupt+transit+through+the+%3Cb%3EPanama+Canal%3C%2Fb%3E%2C%E2%80%9C+according+to+Clarksons+Research.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+a+weekly+report+released+on+June+5%2C+Clarksons+summarized+the+impact+on+the+%3Cb%3EPanama+Canal%3C%2Fb%3E+of+the+military+conflict+involving+the+United+States%2C+Israel%2C+and+Iran+that+broke+out+at+the+end+of+February.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80According+to+Clarksons%2C+since+the+outbreak+of+the+Middle+East+conflict%2C+the+average+number+of+vessels+transiting+the+%3Cb%3EPanama+Canal%3C%2Fb%3E+per+day+has+increased+from+35+in+the+six+months+before+the+conflict+to+about+40%2C+close+to+the+canal%E2%80%99s+maximum+transit+capacity.+The+number+of+vessels+waiting+to+transit+the+canal+%28ocean-going+vessels%29+also+surged+from+about+40+to+about+70.+The+time+required+to+wait+for+transit+also+increased+from+about+30+hours+to+about+50+hours+in+April+and+May.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Tankers+are+driving+the+increase+in+traffic+volume.+The+number+of+product+carriers+transiting+the+canal+reached+a+record+high+of+about+300+vessels+per+month+in+April+and+May.+This+was+due+to+increased+exports+of+petroleum+products+from+the+United+States+to+Asia+and+Australia%2C+representing+a+50%25+increase+from+2025+levels.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Traffic+volume+for+crude+oil+tankers+is+limited+because+most+crude+oil+exported+from+the+United+States+to+Asia+is+transported+by+VLCCs+%28Very+Large+Crude+Carriers%29+via+the+Cape+of+Good+Hope%2C+but+it+doubled+to+18+vessels+in+April%2C+the+highest+level+in+more+than+three+years.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Meanwhile%2C+traffic+volume+for+VLGCs+%28Very+Large+LPG+%EF%BC%9Cliquefied+petroleum+gas%EF%BC%9E+Carriers%29+has+remained+flat+at+about+100+vessels+per+month.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Choosing+the+route+via+the+Cape+of+Good+Hope+on+the+U.S.-Asia+route+makes+the+voyage+distance+70%25+longer+than+via+Panama%2C+but+more+vessels+are+choosing+the+Cape+of+Good+Hope+route+to+avoid+congestion+and+waiting+for+transit.+This+has+become+a+factor+pushing+the+VLGC+market+to+record-high+levels.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80U.S.+exports+of+LNG+%28liquefied+natural+gas%29+to+Asia+have+doubled+from+pre-conflict+levels%2C+but+because+most+LNG+carriers+take+the+route+via+the+Cape+of+Good+Hope%2C+the+number+of+LNG+carriers+transiting+Panama+since+March+has+increased+only+slightly+to+eight+per+month.+Before+the+conflict%2C+it+was+six+ships+a+month.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Clarksons+also+noted%2C+%E2%80%9CAn+El+Nino+could+lower+the+canal%E2%80%99s+water+level+and+disrupt+transit.+This+could+worsen+congestion+and+potentially+cause+more+vessels+to+once+again+choose+longer+routes.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80When+the+effects+of+the+El+Nino+peaked+between+2023+and+2024%2C+the+number+of+vessels+permitted+to+transit+was+reduced+to+40%25+of+normal+levels%2C+and+fully+laden+draft+was+also+restricted.+It+took+about+a+year+for+transit+to+return+to+normal.+%E2%80%9CThe+impact+could+intensify+toward+the+dry+season+in+early+2027%2C%E2%80%9C+Clarksons+said.+%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EDisclaimer%3A+The+English+translations+provided+through+this+service+are+the+result+of+translations+made+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+or+automatically+and+mechanically+translated+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+using+an+automated+translation+system+provided+by+a+third+party+after+certain+processing+of+the+Japanese+content+licensed+by+the+third+party.+In+terms+of+the+English+translation%2C+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+and+MarineNet+Co.%2C+Ltd.+make+no+warranty+or+burden+of+any+kind%2C+express+or+implied%2C+including+its+accuracy%2C+reliability%2C+validity+or+fitness+for+a+particular+purpose.+MarineNet+Users+should+fully+understand+that+this+service+uses+an+automated+translation+system+that+automatically+and+mechanically+recognizes+and+analyzes+information+and+produces+results.+The+users+should+understand+the+above+conditions+before+using+this+service.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E5%85%8D%E8%B2%AC%E4%BA%8B%E9%A0%85%EF%BC%9A%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%92%E4%BB%8B%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%95%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%BD%9C%E6%88%90%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%81%8B%E3%80%81%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E8%A8%B1%E8%AB%BE%E3%82%92%E5%8F%97%E3%81%91%E3%81%9F%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%86%E3%83%B3%E3%83%84%E3%82%92%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%9A%E3%81%AE%E5%87%A6%E7%90%86%E3%82%92%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A7%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8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パナマ運河 通航量上限に。タンカー増加。中東情勢悪化で

2026/06/10(水)

日本海事新聞 JMD

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