One-fifth of the usual vessel transits at the Panama Canal have been lost over the past month due to passage restrictions, Clarksons Research has revealed.

At the end of October, amid a serious drought, the Panama Canal Authority said daily transits would be cut gradually to 18 per day by 1 February, half of the normal level.

The research arm of UK shipbroker Clarksons said as restrictions have tightened, the number of transits dropped 20% between late October and late November.