Panama Canal resumes operations through the east lane of the Miraflores locks after spill

The Panama Canal Authority saw little to no interruption to its transit schedule following the rupture of a container ship which leaked heavy fuel oil into one of the locks on May 26, with cleanup complete and no recorded impact to vessel traffic, the authority said May 29.

"The Panama Canal reports that the East lane of the Miraflores locks is operating normally since last night, May 28, after concluding the cleanup of fuel leaked Sunday afternoon during the transit of a vessel," the authority told S&P Global Commodity Insights late May 29.

The container ship in question, the MSC Katya R, ruptured its No. 2 Starboard heavy fuel oil tank when it struck a protruding part of the canal, according to sources.

The oil spill occurred in the chamber of the Miraflores lock in the East lane, but was quickly cleaned up with ships continuing to use the West lane and the Neopanamax locks. The authority noted that the incident did not interrupt the regular traffic schedule.