Panama Canal — Live Tanker Traffic

The Panama Canal is a 77-kilometre artificial waterway connecting the Atlantic (Caribbean) and Pacific Oceans through the Isthmus of Panama. For tankers, the canal provides a critical shortcut between US Gulf Coast LNG export terminals and Asian import markets - a route that would otherwise require circumnavigating South America.

LNG tankers became eligible to transit the expanded Panama Canal (with Neo-Panamax locks) only after the 2016 expansion, and this route has since become an important corridor for US LNG exports to Japan, South Korea, and China. However, the canal is sensitive to drought conditions: the 2023-2024 water shortage forced significant transit restrictions, causing backlogs and rerouting of LNG and tanker traffic.

TankerMap monitors tanker traffic in the Panama Canal zone in real time. The live tracking data below shows which LNG and crude oil tankers are currently in the canal corridor, including their speed, direction, and destination.