The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will begin offering additional booking slots for neopanamax vessels effective October 10, 2016.
Two additional bookings slots, one per direction, will be offered daily to neopanamax full container vessels during the tiebreaker competition of the 2nd booking period (21 days prior to the requested booking date). Unused slots from the first booking period that are carried over to the second booking period will also be offered during the tiebreaker competition of the second period to all interested vessels from any market segment. After the second period tiebreaker competition, all remaining slots will become available to interested vessels from any market segment. Unused booking slots from the second booking period will be carried over to the third booking period.
In order to allocate the additional booking slots for October 10 through 26 during the second period, a special competition will be held at 0900 hours on October 6, 2016. Thereafter, booking slots for dates beginning October 27, including the additional slots, will be offered through the normal allocation process. Slots remaining after the tiebreaker competitions will become available to interested vessels from any market segment, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Booking slots for neopanamax passenger vessels requesting a turn-around transit will be limited to one per day. Vessel agents shall inform the ACP that they are requesting turn-around transit hen submitting their booking request. Failure to provide this information may result in the cancellation of the vessel’s booking, as well as the application of corresponding charges.
Source: GAC