Panama warns about speed restriction until 30 November 2023

The Panama Maritime Authority has published circular warning vessels about speed restrictions due to the season of cetaceans.

This circular pertains to the decisions made by the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as outlined in Resolution A.858(20), regarding measures for organizing maritime traffic beyond traffic separation schemes.

Specifically, Panama Maritime Authority highlights the content on page 7 of the mentioned document, which focuses on mitigating the risk of harmful interactions with cetaceans.

It is strongly recommended that ships, when safe and feasible, maintain a maximum speed of 10 knots between 1 August and 30 November annually.

This recommendation is applicable to both the traffic lanes within the Traffic Separation Scheme located north of latitude 08º00'.00 N in the Gulf of Panama.

This circular was published on 6 July 2023.

For more information, please see the documents below (available only to subscribers):

Speed Restriction by Season of Cetaceans in National Waters

A.858(20): Procedure for the Adoption and Amendment of Traffic Separation Schemes, Routeing Measures Other Than Traffic Separation Schemes, Including Designation and Substitution of Archipelagic Sea Lanes, and Ship Reporting Systems