The Panama Canal Authority aims to double container traffic through the canal in the coming years, canal chief Ricaurte Vasquez announced at the Houston International Maritime Conference. With a US$8 billion investment plan, the authority is implementing a water conservation strategy following a severe drought that disrupted transit routes between the United States and Asia from late 2023 to early 2024. To conserve water, shippers are being encouraged to consolidate cargoes, particularly for container ships.

Additionally, the canal plans to expand Panama's cargo transfer capacity by developing land on its west bank, allowing efficient container transfers via rail, truck, or vessel. This expansion could increase the canal's capacity by at least 5 million containers annually by 2045. A new slot reservation system for next year allocates nearly 40% of the largest locks' capacity to container ships and LNG vessels.