Shipping in the Panama Canal was halted on Wednesday due to heavy rain, the first time the waterway has been closed in more than 20 years.
About five vessels were visible idling in the canal, a major shipping route that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, from Miraflores Locks on the Pacific side of the waterway, about six hours after the suspension, Reuters reports.
If the shutdown lasts less than a day it should have a minimal impact on trade.
Between 13,000 and 14,000 ships pass through the canal every year, or about 36 a day, representing 5% of world trade, according to the canal authority.
A spokesman at the canal authority office said the the shutdown, the canal's first since the 1989 US invasion, was a precaution.
Recent heavy rains have caused havoc in nearby Venezuela and Colombia and the authority said rainfall had pushed surrounding rivers and reservoirs to historically high levels.
Ships can take weeks to cross through the 80km canal, which operates as a series of interconnected locks that raise and lower water levels to move massive barges.
