Off-Nadir Delta

Panama Canal: Ship Traffic and Events Reported

Whether ship traffic through the Panama Canal is at its usual level, and what has been reported there — each event with how it was linked to the place.

Open it on the WatchfloorWhen can a satellite next see it?
Quick answer — the Panama Canal now

Ship transits through the Panama Canal were within its usual range in the 7 days to 18 Oct 2026. The measurement is updated weekly, so it shows a change 4 to 11 days after it happens, and it does not say whether the strait is open or closed. 4 events were linked to the Panama Canal in the last 30 days. 2 of them name the Panama Canal in the reporting; the rest were only placed nearby.

Ship traffic against its usual level

within its usual range7 days to 18 Oct 2026

The 7-day average of ships passing the Panama Canal is compared with the same average over the 12 weeks before. It is outside its usual range only when it is statistically unusual against those weeks and at least 15% away. The full rule, and what a record does and does not state, are on Transit Anomalies.

Sources: UN Global Platform; IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org)

Events reported at or near the Panama Canal

The last 30 days, newest first. Titles summarise the reporting; they are not facts this page has checked.

Seeing it from orbit

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Panama Canal open or closed?▼
This page does not say. What it can state is whether the number of ships passing the Panama Canal is at its usual level, from a weekly-updated measurement, and which events reporting has linked to it. A fall in transits can come from a closure, an attack, weather, holidays or re-routing, and the measurement does not say which. Check the reported events and their sources for the reason.
Can I see live satellite images of the Panama Canal?▼
No free source shows a strait live at a useful resolution. Free Sentinel-1 radar and Sentinel-2 optical imagery pass over a place every few days; radar works through cloud and at night. Satellite pass prediction works out when a satellite can next image the Panama Canal, and the Sentinel-1 viewer shows the most recent free radar pass.
How is “usual” ship traffic decided?▼
Usual level: the median of the 7-day averages over the 12 weeks before. A 7-day average is outside its usual range when it is statistically unusual against those weeks (modified Z-score of 3.5 or more) and at least 15% away. Only container, dry bulk, general cargo, ro-ro and tanker ships that broadcast AIS are counted. The measurement is updated weekly, so a change shows 4 to 11 days after it happens.
What does “named as the location” or “nearby” mean on an event?▼
How the event was linked to the Panama Canal. “Named as the location” and “named as the target” mean the reporting named this place as where something happened or what was struck. “Named as the subject” means the reporting was about it but did not describe a physical event there — a statement, a market move or an explainer. “Nearby” means only that the event was placed close to it — an association, not a statement that it happened here.

Other straits and canals

Watch the Panama Canal

Add it to a Watchlist from its card on the Watchfloor, and be told when its transits leave their usual range and when reporting names it. Free to start.

Open the WatchfloorHow transits are measured

From headline to satellite evidence

One connected intelligence workflow across four surfaces — free to start, no GIS software or remote-sensing background required.

Step 1

Pick an event on the Watchfloor

Open the Watchfloor
Step 2

Ask Delta Agent why it matters

Ask Delta Agent
Step 3

Look closer on the Map

Open the Map
Step 4

Keep watching it

Add to Watchlist
Step 5

Reuse the insight

Read the Report