Panama Canal drought threatens Christmas supplies in UK
British shops are at risk of being left with empty shelves in the run-up to Christmas after a record-breaking drought in Central America forced officials to reduce the number of container ships allowed through the Panama Canal.
The drought in Panama, usually one of the wettest countries in the world, has lowered the water level of the lake that feeds the canal’s locks, causing shipping bottlenecks that have led to weeks-long delays in the delivery of holiday inventory. The disruption in global trade threatens to leave many Christmas shoppers empty handed.
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP), which would usually hope to allow up to 40 ships through each day, cut the average to 32 vessels in July, and announced new limits last month that
