Panama, which is especially important for international navigation, has been ravaged by intense raining that caused massive flooding. The disaster claimed 10 victims and left 2,500 people homeless.

Flooding forced the closure of the Panama Canal – the highest state-income body -, resulting in a huge economic blow to the country, which, based on the area (78 thousand sq./km.) and population (3.19 million) is just a little bigger than Lithuania.

The 81 km long channel, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is crossed by about 14.7 thousand ships each year. About 40 ships pass it a day. According to 2008 data, vessels shipped 309 million tonnes of cargo via the Panama Canal per year. Ships using the Canal constitute about 5 per cent of the world’s shipping share.

The average toll of crossing the Panama Canal per ship is 54 thousand U.S. dollars. Charges are calculated differently for ferries, containerships and cruise ships. Annual revenues from the Panama Canal shipping reach nearly 800 million U.S. dollars.

The highest price for the passage of the Panama Canal was 331 thousand U.S. dollars, paid by ship’s “Disney Magic” owner “Disney Cruise Lines” company in 2008. Cruise ships pay a $ 92 fee for the number of beds; in addition, the ships pay the embankment and even the toll operator fees.

To cross the Panama Canal by boat or some other ship up to 50 feet or 15 meters long costs 1300 U.S. dollars.

The closure of the shipping channel costs 2 million U.S. dollars per day.

Severe flooding has forced the closure of the Panama Canal along its entire 81 km length for the first time. Before that, the Canal would only briefly close its separate units due to a variety of repairs or shipping accidents.