Suez Canal breaks record in number of ships, loads

CAIRO - 9 September 2017: Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, Mohab Mamish, announced on Saturday that 65 ships carrying a load of 4.3 million tons have passed through the Suez Canal, recording the highest number in the history of the canal.

In a press release on Saturday, Mamish revealed that three of the world’s largest containers, carrying loads between 150,000 to 200,000 tons, passed through the waterway today, the thing that would not have been possible without the new branch of the Suez Canal.

Mamish expressed his gratitude towards President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for his “continuous support” to the canal’s authority, stressing on the importance of the new Suez Canal project in increasing the capacity of the waterway.

In August 2015, Egypt inaugurated a major expansion of the Suez Canal by adding a 35 km waterway parallel to the original channel, aiming to increase traffic on the canal as well as raise Egypt’s international revenues.

The canal has been witnessing an increase in the number of transiting ships recently. Mamish attributed this to a recovery in the world trade.

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

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