The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) hereby announces changes to the duration and slot distribution of the different booking periods for the Neopanamax locks.
Effective March 1, 2023, the following changes will be in effect:
1. DURATION OF THE BOOKING PERIODS.
- Special Passenger Period: from 730 to 366 days prior to booking date.
- Booking Period 1 will extend from 365 days to 31 days prior to booking date.
- Booking Period 1.a will extend from 30 days to 15 days prior to booking date.
- Booking Period 2 will extend from 14 to 4 days prior to booking date.
- Booking Period 3 will extend from 3 to 2 days prior to booking date.
2. BOOKING SLOT DISTRIBUTION AND ALLOCATION PROCEDURE.
- Special Period for passenger vessels: during this period, one slot will continue to be offered to passenger vessels. However, if the slot is not awarded at the end of the period, the slot will be carried over to Booking Period 1.a.
- Booking Period 1: during this period, only one slot will be offered. Only full container and passenger vessels will be allowed to participate in this period. During the tiebreaker competition, the slots will be awarded based on customer ranking.
- Booking Period 1.a: during this period, two slots will be made available in addition to the slot carried over from the special passenger vessel period (when available). Only full container, LNG, and LPG vessels will be allowed to participate during this period. When assigning the first slot during the tiebreaker competition, priority will be given to full container vessels, followed by LNG vessels, and LPG vessels. When assigning the second slot, priority will be given to LNG vessels, followed by LPG vessels, and finally full container vessels. The third slot (when carried over from the special passenger vessel period) will be awarded based on customer ranking. Slots not awarded during the tiebreaker competition will be available to full container, LNG, and LPG vessels on a “first-come, first-served” basis. A maximum of two slots may be allocated to LNG vessels (two northbound slots or one northbound and one southbound).
- Booking Period 2: at the opening of this period, three slots will be made available to all vessels, regardless of vessel type. When assigning these slots (including the conditioned slot) during the tiebreaker competition, priority will be given to full container vessels, followed by LNG vessels (provided that no more than two LNG vessels have already been awarded in previous period) and finally, based on customer ranking. The award process for the conditioned slot remains unchanged.
An additional slot will be auctioned on a daily basis to vessels transiting in the southbound direction, seven (7) days prior to the transit booking date, replacing the Tuesday and Wednesday auctions currently offered. If there are no interested vessels, the slot will become available to any interested neopanamax vessel. - Booking Period 3: slots that are carried over from booking period 2 will be offered during this period, on a “first-come, first-served” basis.
The maximum number of slots per direction and restriction remain unchanged.
(For information about operations in Panama, contact GAC Panama at [email protected])
Source: Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Advisory to Shipping No.A-05-2023 dated 17 February 2023
