PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP)—The Panama Canal is not ruling out new restrictions on ship traffic due to a drought exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon, the critical waterway’s new administrator told AFP on Monday.

The interoceanic canal — through which five percent of global maritime trade passes — has already gradually reduced the maximum number of ships allowed daily from 36 to 32.

But Ilya Espino de Marotta, who took over as administrator on Monday, said in an interview that further measures may be implemented if the drought does not subside.

“We do not rule out the possibility that in February or March we may have to lower the limit — probably not to 24 slots per day, but it could be reduced to 29 or something similar,” Espino de Marotta told AFP.

The Panama Canal, which opened to commercial traffic in 1914, operates using rainwater stored in two reservoirs. Their water levels have dropped due to the drought caused by El Nino, which is shaping up to be the most intense on record and has prompted a nationwide alert.

In 2023, El Nino forced a reduction in daily transits from 38 to 22 due to the dramatic reduction in reservoir levels.

Espino de Marotta, the first woman ever to head the US-built canal, stated, however, that she does not expect restrictions to reach the levels seen that year.

Last Friday, 34 vessels were allowed through. This number will drop to 32 beginning September 15, officials said, with the maximum draft also gradually reduced from 15.2 meters to 14.6 meters (50 feet to 48 feet).

The United States and China are the main users of Panama’s maritime route linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.