How we work
Where our information comes from, how we check it, and how transit requests reach a partner agent.
Where the information comes from
Rules and limits come only from official sources: the Panama Canal Authority's Advisories and Notices to Shipping, the Suez Canal Authority's circulars and periodicals, and the equivalent notices from other authorities. Every status line and every alert links to the document it comes from.
Data comes from named, published sources, shown next to every number:
- Traffic: IMF PortWatch daily transit estimates, built from AIS ship-tracking data. Published with a lag of about a week.
- Panama wait times: Canal Waters Time from the ACP's Monthly Canal Operations Summary.
- Gatun Lake: the ACP's daily water-level history and its own projection.
- Storms: NOAA National Hurricane Center (Atlantic and Eastern Pacific).
- Wind: MET Norway's forecast at each canal entrance.
How an alert is made
- Our system checks the authorities' notice pages several times a day and stores each new document.
- A draft summary is written with the help of AI, using only the official document.
- A separate review step checks every number, date and claim against the source. Our build refuses to publish an alert that is missing its source, a required section or a valid date.
- Each page shows when the notice was issued and when we wrote and last updated our summary.
If something is wrong, tell us and we'll correct it and note the change.
How transit requests work
CanalAgent is not a shipping agency. When you ask for help with a transit, we pass your request to one vetted partner agency for that canal, which contacts you directly with a quote.
- Partners pay CanalAgent a fixed fee. We never take a commission on your transit and never add anything to your costs.
- Your details go only to that canal's partner, and only when you send a request. We never sell them.
- Partners have no say over our content. Status pages, alerts and guides are written from official sources, whoever the partner is.
- We vet partners for registration with the canal authority and response times, and we replace a partner that doesn't serve requests well.
Using the site is free, and you never have to send a request to use it.
What it isn't
CanalAgent is information, not navigational, legal or operational advice. Authorities can change limits at short notice. Always confirm current requirements with the authority or your appointed agent before fixing a voyage.