Panama Canal live traffic
Pacific Ocean ↔ Caribbean Sea
Statistics are being loaded
Daily transit counts from IMF PortWatch appear here after the first synchronisation.
Vessels right now and our own transit count
Positions received in the last 30 minutes from shore-based AIS receivers, and transits counted by StraitTraffic from those signals. Independent of the official statistics above.
Shore receivers reach only part of this area, so the map shows only some of the vessels and StraitTraffic does not count transits here. Use the official statistics above for traffic levels.
About Panama Canal traffic
The Panama Canal links the Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean Sea across 80 kilometres of locks and lakes. Around 30 to 40 ships a day pass between Balboa and Colón; in drought years the canal authority limits draught and daily slots, which is why transit counts are a closely watched indicator for container and LNG trades.
How transits are counted
A transit is counted when a vessel is seen in the Pacific anchorage off Balboa, then inside the canal, and then in the Caribbean off Colón, or the reverse. Vessels waiting at anchor for a slot are visible on the map but do not count until they complete the passage. Official daily totals come from IMF PortWatch.