The Panama Canal Authority announced last week that due to persistent low rainfall, it would reduce the number of daily transiting vessels from 36 to 32, effective September 15. Some climate scientists are calling the current El Niño a "super El Niño," believing its intensity to be unprecedented. Previously, the Canal Authority had implemented mandatory vessel light-loading measures, leading to a sharp increase in transit fees. In early August, the average daily auction price was approximately $1.1 million, more than 16 times higher than the same period last year. Last week, an empty natural gas supertanker paid a transit fee as high as $4.6 million. Shipping giant MSC also announced that it would increase the Panama Canal surcharge for 45-foot containers to $376, starting in September.