Canal bypass fee hits $4.6M as LPG tanker jumps the line

A surge in Panama Canal traffic amid war-driven shifts in energy flows led to a $4.6 million auction payment by the LPG tanker G. Arete to bypass the regular queue and move from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The fee, higher than the roughly $4 million paid earlier this week for a container ship to skip the line, underscores how congestion and low water levels are reshaping global energy logistics. The vessel’s owner is listed as SK Shipping Co., though comment from the canal authority was not obtained.