Halt in expansion of Panama Canal could cause major delays - arbitrators

A view of the construction site of the Panama Canal Expansion project on the Atlantic side on the outskirts of Colon City January 15, 2014. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - If work on the expansion of the Panama Canal is suspended, it could take up to five more years to finish, according to arbitrators helping to oversee the project that has been hit by a dispute over costs.

Since the start of 2014, the Panama Canal Authority (PCA) has been embroiled in a public row with the consortium known as Grupo Unidos Por el Canal (GUPC) over $1.6 billion in additional costs the GUPC says have arisen during work on the project.