8.7M tons of petroleum products crossed Suez Canal in July

CAIRO – 4 September 2017: A volume of 8.7 million tons of petroleum products have passed through the Suez Canal in July, chairman of the canal’s authority Mohab Mamesh said Monday.

A report published by the authority stated that 3.3 million tons of petroleum products were on ships that sailed through the original waterway, while the rest passed through the New Suez Canal.

The petroleum products included crude oil, gasoline, diesel, fuel oil and petroleum gases.

Suez Canal traffic has been steadily increasing since the beginning of 2017, reflecting a rebound in international trade flow, Mamesh said in a previous statement, attributing the traffic hike to the new Suez Canal that boosted the canal’s capacity.

The canal’s revenues in the second quarter (Q2) of 2017 recorded $2.105 billion, $62.2 million increase compared to the corresponding quarter.

A total number of 7,294 ships passed through the canal in Q2 2017, compared to 7,021 ships in Q2 2016, with 3.9 percent increase, according to official data.

On a larger level, Suez Canal revenues in the first half (H1) of 2017 registered $2.938 billion, up from $2.919 billion, Mamesh said. More than 9,900 ships crossed the canal during that period, compared to 9,745 ships in H1 2016.