More than 200 ships were stuck on both sides of the Panama Canal for weeks after authorities restricted the number of crossings as it is going through its driest spell in more than a century, Daily Mail reported.

The authorities have reduced maximum ship weights due to which large vessels carrying millions of dollars worth of goods were locked in a traffic jam with some waiting for weeks to cross.

In a bid to conserve water, the authorities capped the number of transits through the canal at 32 vessels per day. The restriction has been extended until September 2.

Amid the historic traffic jam, Panama is likely to bear losses to the tune of $200 million in revenue from the delays, while it could also cause a spike in the US grocery and retail prices as the additional fees are hiked on to shipping costs.

A few ship owners have opted to reroute their journeys to avoid the backlog at the world busiest maritime passing, as the entrances on both sides of the Canal are choked with some ships backed up for more than 20 days.

The canal uses three times as much water as New York City on a daily basis and needs rainfall to replace it.

However, the rainy season has not arrived in Panama yet due to which the Canal is going through its driest spell in more than a century.

The administrator of the Panama Canal Ricaurte Vásquez Morales warned the restrictions put in place could extend to the rest of the year.

He said the drought could see a $200 million drop in revenue next year if the low rainfall continues into winter.

Compared with the early years of the Canal’s operation, the extreme rain or drought have become a lot more regular, he added.

The Canal is a major source for moving consumer goods from Asia to the US, especially ahead of peak selling seasons like Christmas. It also allows faster transportation of US commodities to Asia and South America’s Pacific Coast.

One of the major trade routes, the Canal has a 40% market share of containers moving from Northeast Asia to the US East Coast.

The restrictions already are sending China-US spot shipping prices up as much as 36% amid soaring sea temperatures that climate scientists warn could supercharge extreme weather.