The Panama Canal announced temporary modifications to its Transit Reservation (Booking) System for Neopanamax vessels aimed at providing customers with greater flexibility, improving the distribution of available capacity across market segments, and encouraging the efficient use of water resources.

The changes will take effect August 30, 2026, for booking dates beginning September 13, 2026.

Under the revised rules, Neopanamax customers will be permitted to obtain more than one reservation slot for the same booking date and will be permitted to obtain slots for two or more consecutive booking dates. These modifications temporarily remove certain restrictions established under Advisory A-28-2026.

A total of 63 Neopanamax reservation slots will be offered each week, including slots allocated through the Long-Term Slot Allocation (LoTSA) and NetZero programs.

Customers will also retain flexibility to swap or substitute vessels following the allocation of a slot provided that the replacement vessel has the same or greater Transit TEU Allowance (TTA) capacity, and that applicable customer limits are respected. Vessels operating under alliances or vessel-sharing agreements may also participate in eligible swaps or substitutions as long as those transactions do not result in a customer exceeding the maximum number of slots allowed.

Booking date changes may likewise be permitted when they do not result in a customer exceeding the maximum number of applicable slots.

Source: Panama Canal Authority

 

Back