Record-breaking number of ships transit Suez Canal Thursday

CAIRO – 1 June 2017: A record-breaking 59 ships carrying 3.6 million tons passed through the Suez Canal Thursday, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Mohab Mamesh said.

The number of ships and the volume of loads have been increasing since the start of the year, Mamesh said in a Thursday statement.

The world’s third largest container ship, MOL Triumph, was among 35 ships that passed north through the canal, carrying a total combined weight of 2.3 million tons. The 24 ships crossing south through of the canal carried 1.3 million tons.

The Suez Canal achieved revenues of $853.7 million in March and April, compared to $820.4 million during the same period last year.

Mamesh attributed the growth to the increasing number of ships transiting through the vital waterway, which amounted to 2,973 ships carrying a total of 170.8 million tons of cargo through the canal compared to 2,847 ships transiting during the same period last year.