ADVISORIES ARE AVAILABLE AT http://www.pancanal.com FOR ETAS OR DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH OUR OFFICES, REFER TO NOTICE N-3-2023 Panama Canal Authority Vice Presidency for Operations Advisory T o S hipping No. A-54-2023 December 15, 2023 TO: All Shipping Agents, Owners, and Operators SUBJECT: Increase in the Number of Booking Slots in the Panamax and Neopanamax Locks and Other Modifications to the Transit Reservation System Based on the current and projected level of Gatun Lake, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) hereby announces an adjustment to the number and di stribution of booking slots for both the Panamax and Neopanamax locks. In the Neopanamax Locks, one slot is being added in Period 1.a. (30 days prior to transit date). Applications under this new slot distribution will be received at the opening of the tiebreaker competition beginning December 17, 2023, for transit date January 16, 2024. The daily auction slot currently offered in Period 3 will continue until further notice. The special auction for full container vessels announced in Advisory to Shipping A-52-2023 may be offered as deemed necessary, as determined by the ACP. In the Panamax Locks, two slots from the supers category are being carried over from Period 1 to Period 2. For the regular vessel category, one slot is being added in Period 2. Applications under this new slot distribution for Period 2 will be received at the opening of the tiebreaker competition beginning January 2, 2024, for transit date January 16, 2024. In addition, the two (2) auction slots offered in Period 3 will be available to both supers and regular vessels, effective January 9, 2024, for auctions beginning January 16, 2024. These auctions will be offered to specific market segments based on the groups announced in Advisory to Shipping A-51-2023. The ACP will notify the day of the week when the slots to be auctioned will become available to each group. The following table summarizes the new distribution of slots for the three vessel categories: VESSEL CATEGORY SPECIAL PERIOD PERIOD 1 PERIOD 1.A (30-15 DAYS) PERIOD 2 (14-8 DAYS) PERIOD 3 AUCTIONS (7-2 DAYS) TOTAL Neopanamax 1 2 2 1 1 7 Supers 3 4 N/A 4 2 17 Regulars 2 - N/A 2 Total 6 6 2 7 3 24 Notes: 1. All unused slots from one period are carried over to the following period. 2. The two (2) daily auctions offered in Period 3 in the Panamax locks will be open to supers and regulars Furthermore, due to the ongoing water crisis in the Panama Canal and the current reduction in transit slots, t he ACP finds it necessary to adjust the number of slots that may be awarded to each customer (per customer code), with the objective of providing a more equitable and fair distribution of slots. Therefore, in the Neopanamax Locks, for transit dates beginning January 16, 2024, only one (1) booking slot will be allowed per customer per date (regardless of the booking period in which the slot was awarded), with the following exceptions: 3654-A (OP-I) V. 29/03/2023 3654-A (OP-I) V. 29/03/2023 OP, December 15, 2023 Subject: Increase in the Number of Booking Slots in the Panamax and Neopanamax Locks and Other Modifications to the Transit Reservation System 1. Slots that are awarded through the auction process. 2. Slots that cannot be allocated to other participating vessels during the tiebreaker competition, due to exceeding the established limits per di rection and/or restriction. 3. If there are no other interested vessels during the tiebreaker competitions. 4. If th