Panama Canal Authority said on Aug 20 it will reduce daily vessel transits and adjust auction mechanisms for transit slots from September, citing reduced rainfall in the canal watershed caused by the El Nino phenomenon. From Sep 3, daily available slots for Neopanamax locks will be adjusted to nine, while Panamax locks will have 25, bringing the total daily transits to 34. From Sep 15, daily slots for Panamax locks will be further reduced to 23, lowering the canal's total daily transits to 32.