AS a reflection of containerships' growing size, queues are becoming longer - about 90 ships - to get through the Panama Canal, doubling transit times to a record 53 hours from the usual 27 to 30 hours.

Lloyd's List reports the congestion has eased from its peak in March, when 119 vessels waited up to eight days to transit the canal. Ships currently face a minimum four-day wait for the 80-kilometre trip.

Local agents question whether an industrial dispute between the canal authority and pilots is at the root of the trouble. Critics of the pilots newly launched work-to-rule measures say they are slowing down canal transits.

Not so, says the canal authority. It attributed congestion to greater volume alone. "Things will improve. There is definitely a downward trend," said an authority spokeswoman