THE Panama Canal increased ship transits seven per cent during the west coast congestion crisis, but the big winner was the Suez Canal, says Panama Canal administrator Jorge Quijano.Speaking at the Trans-Pacific Maritime conference in Long Beach, he said: "They were the ones that benefited the most from these diversions. It was the Suez Canal."

This contrasted sharply from the 2002 experience during the west coast longshore lock-out, when the Panama Canal saw plenty of vessels that were redirected to alternative ports.

But ships sizes have grown tremendously since then, he said.

Most ships calling at US west coast ports could have easily transited the Panama Canal when most were below 4,500-TEU - the waterway's limit. Not so today with 6,000-TEUers tending to be on the small side.

There are no such limits on the Suez Canal. While longer, the Suez route takes most cargo to where most of it wants to go in America

But Mr Quijano now hopes to benefit from a permanent shift of cargo to alternative gateways once the new set of locks are in place, enabling ships of 13,200 TEU to transit the waterway when it the enlarged version becomes operational next year.

Eventually, he said that limit will rise to 14,000 TEU, though 9,000-TEUers are expected to be the waterway workhorses.