PHOTO: REUTERSA CONTAINER ship paid US$4 million to cut the line at the Panama Canal, where wait times are stretching more than a week, as vessels seek alternative routes because of the Iran war. Shipowners are shelling out millions of dollars to use the auction workaround as the Iran war forces more congestion at the Panama Canal, which links the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific. The ship was last shown in South Korea before heading to the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal Authority said in a statement that auctions have experienced an increase in market costs due to shifts in global trade supply and demand and acknowledged that some have exceeded US$1 million. It declined to comment on the most recent US$4 million transaction and vessel owner.