Following the restrictions imposed by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in late May, some import shipments from Asia to the U.S. East Coast are expected to be delayed as the Christmas season is expected to bring traffic jams.

“Christmas goods urgently shipped from Asia into the East Coast, may not arrive in time,” British-American Shipping CEO Paul Snell tells AJOT.com

Faced with an unprecedented drought this year, the ACP announced a cut to the draft restrictions for ships transiting its larger neopanamax locks by six feet. Transits were also slashed by 20% to just 32 vessels a day. 

FreshFruitportal.com reported on Sep. 6 that said restrictions were not expected to impact fruit imports into the East Coast.

Related articles: Impact of Panama Canal restrictions on fruit imports analyzed

“Liner operators reserve their transits ahead of time and have a priority to pass the many bulkers and tankers waiting in the anchorages at both sides of the waterway,” Sean Mahoney director of marketing, PhilaPort, said then.

While current restrictions only affect vessels sailing at deep drafts, leaving out the conventional reefer segment, the logistic issues that are expected to arise during holiday season could still show an impact on fruit imports.

“You are going to have vessels out of sync, out of alignment, and potentially all arriving at one time. So, it will be harder to control the schedule and it will be harder to maintain schedules both in and out of the U.S.,” Snell adds.