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. While typical transits through the waterway are paid by a flat rate via reservations, the Panama Canal Authority also offers customers an auction process in order to bypass the regular queue. 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. It declined to comment on the most recent US$4 million transaction and vessel owner.