The figure is 6.6% more than forecast.

The waterway has earned the Panamanian government $9.6bn in fees since December 1999, ACP said.

The canal handled 326.8m tons of goods in its financial year ending 30 September, up 1.9% from 2013.

Its $5.3bn expansion, which is adding a third set of locks, is due for completion next December.