Panama Canal Authority said on the 20th that freight transiting the canal
reached a record in the last fiscal year after the Strait of Hormuz was closed
amid Middle East fighting. The canal, which handles about 5% of global seaborne
trade, recorded nearly 14,000 vessel transits between October and September and
carried 521 mln tonnes of cargo, topping the prior FY2022 record of 518 mln
tonnes.