The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced that effective 1 December 2017, swapping and substitution of booking slots between container vessels of alliance members will be allowed, on a temporary basis, as an ongoing effort to enhance the service offered to the maritime industry.
These will be allowed under the following conditions:
- Both vessels must be of the same type and must belong to the containership segment.
- Both vessels must belong to the same vessel classification (Neopanamax, super or regular).
- Both vessels must be transiting in the same direction.
- For swaps, vessels must have similar transit restrictions, and for substitutions, the new vessel must have similar or lesser transit restrictions.
- Both vessel operators must belong to services under the same alliance.
- The booking date of the vessels involved in the swap or substitution must be within the effective date of the services and of the alliance.
If the request for substitution is received at least seven days in advance of the booked vessel’s required arrival, no cancellation fee will be assessed.
Vessels within the same alliance are permitted to swap their reserved transit slots up to five times per booking. The swapping fee to be applied will depend on the number of swaps that the vessel is involved in, as per the swapping fee table published in Notice to Shipping N-7- 2017.
It has also been brought to the notice of the customers that any changes regarding established alliance members, changes of effective dates, customer consolidations or deactivations, shall be presented to ACP in a timely manner in order to update our records.
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Source: Panama Canal
