The Panama Canal will reduce daily ship transits from 36 to 32 starting 4 September 2026 to conserve water during a drought worsened by El Niño, marking the second such restriction in the canal's history. ^[1] The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned that the current El Nino phenomenon could be the most powerful in 40 years, with peak intensity expected by late 2026. ^[2] The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced on 2026-04-12 that it will restrict ship traffic starting this Friday, marking the second time in the canal's history it has limited transits due to drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon. ^[3] Ilya Espino de Marotta, who will assume the directorship of the Panama Canal on 7 September 2026, said on 3 September 2026 that water conditions are 'challenging' due to the possibility of a strong El Niño. ^[4] The Panama Canal Authority plans to build a 4,600-hectare reservoir on the Indio River, west of the canal, to avoid future droughts, but the project will not be completed before 2031. ^[5] António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, stated that El Nino is becoming 'gigantic' and that the world is in the danger zone of extreme climate. ^[6] Between May and July, the anomaly in the central-eastern equatorial Pacific reached an average of 1.5 degrees Celsius above usual values, rising to a range of 2.2 to 2.6 degrees by late July and mid-August. ^[7] Due to drought, the Panama Canal reduced daily ship crossings from 36 to 32 and lowered the maximum draft of ships from 15.24 to 14.63 meters to conserve water reserves. ^[8] Erick Córdoba, Hydrology Manager of the canal, noted that rainfall deficits between April and August were 35.8% below the historical average with no signs of short-term recovery. ^[9] The daily number of ships crossing the canal will decrease gradually from 36 to 32 to conserve water. ^[10]