Global Trade Faces Fresh Test as Panama Canal Curbs Bookings

By Nicholas Lua and Mary Hui (Bloomberg) – Global trade faces a fresh headache on top of the months-long snarls in the Middle East that have roiled flows, with the Panama Canal moving to curtail some vessel-booking slots because of water-supply challenges.

The Panama Canal Authority will temporarily suspend part of the booking system for ships seeking to use the waterway linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, according to shipping agent Norton Lilly. Among the reasons is that a weather-altering El Niño may hit, curbing vital water flows, it said.

The tighter access to the Panama conduit comes as