Source: Panama Canal Authority. Note: Tolls are for January 2025.
To levy tolls on ships transiting the canal, the Panama Canal Authority has a toll structure that considers ship size and class, including a distinction between non-containerized and containerized ships. For non-containerized ships:
- TOLL = Fixed transit fee + Capacity tariff + Miscellaneous fees.
- Fixed transit fees are paid irrespective of the ship type and cargo load. They are divided into three classes: Regular ($60,000 for ships of below Panamax class with beam less than 91 feet / 27.74 meters), Super ($100,000 for Pamamax-max ships fitting exactly into the old locks; length of 965.0 feet, beam of 105.8 feet, 5,000 TEUs of capacity and a PC/UMS of 45,701 tons), and Neopanamax ($300,000 for ships using the new locks; length of 1,096 feet, beam of 159 feet, 12,000 TEU and PC/UMS of 116,295 tons).
- Capacity tariff is also known as Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System tons (PC/UMS). One PC/UMS ton equals 100 cubic feet (2.83 m3) of net ship capacity. It is a function of the ship cargo class (tanker, LNG, passenger), which is posted in dollars per PC/UMS tons of ship capacity (or cubic meter for LNG). For instance, a Neopanamax tanker would pay a capacity tariff of $3.25 per PC/UMS ton, while a Panamax tanker would pay $5.25. Most capacity tariffs are designed to convey a scale benefit.
- Miscenallenous fees are mainly transactional, such as booking, inspection, and security charges, including appointment (for a reserved transit slot) and tug assistance fees. Anchorage fees are levied if the ship has to wait for more than one day.
For containerships, tolls are levied as follows:
- TOLL = Fixed transit fee + Total TEU allowed tariff + Tariff on loaded TEU + Tariff on empty TEU + Miscellaneous fees.
- Fixed transit fees are the same as non-containerized ships.
- Total TEU allowed tariff is the ship TEU capacity determined by the Panama Canal to reflect a standard container load. Capacity tariffs are in USD per TEU.
- Tariff on loaded TEU is the charge for loaded containers stored above deck.
- Tariff on empty TEU is the charge for empty containers stored above deck.
- Miscenallenous fees are the same as non-containerized ships.
As of 2024, the following tolls were levied (approximate from the Panama Canal toll calculator):
- Panamax containership with an 80% full load and 20% empties without reservation: $475,000.
- Neopanamx containership with an 80% full load and 20% empties without reservation: $1,125,000.