Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is one of the two great choke points of world seaborne trade, connecting the Mediterranean and Red Sea and eliminating the ~10-day, 6,500-mile Cape of Good Hope detour for Asia-Europe traffic. Opened in 1869 by the Suez Canal Company, nationalised in 1956, and expanded in 2015 with a parallel 35-km "New Suez Canal" permitting two-way traffic over part of the length. It is operated by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), a wholly Egyptian state-owned enterprise headquartered in Ismailia.

Canal specifications

Length. 193 km (120 nm) from Port Said (Mediterranean) to Port Suez (Red Sea).
Depth. 24 m (79 ft) — allows draft up to 20.1 m (66 ft).
Width. 205 m minimum at 11 m depth. Since 2015 expansion, ~35 km of the length has a parallel channel permitting simultaneous two-way traffic.
No locks. The Suez Canal is at sea level throughout — no locks are required. This is the fundamental engineering difference from the Panama Canal.
Speed limit. 8 knots northbound (Suez to Port Said); 8-14 knots southbound.

Suez Canal tolls

SCA sets tolls based on the Suez Canal Special Drawing Right (SCA SDR), applied to the vessel's Suez Canal Net Tonnage (SCNT — different from GT). Basic 2024-25 tariff structure (approximate, indicative only):

Vessel type	Typical toll (USD)	Notes
VLCC laden (~300,000 DWT)	$600k – $800k	Higher for laden; Suezmax slightly less
Suezmax laden (~150,000 DWT)	$400k – $550k	Depends on SCNT + rebate schedule
ULCV containership (~20,000+ TEU)	$700k – $1,000k	Post-2015 New Panamax vessels are typical
Capesize bulker (~180,000 DWT laden)	$450k – $600k	Higher for iron-ore laden
LNG carrier (~170,000 m³)	$600k – $800k	Some rebates for LNG-cargo transits

Rebates apply for return voyages within 60-90 days, for certain trades (Russian crude to Asia rebate 2023), and for repeat customers. SCA publishes tariff circulars several times per year. See the official Suez Canal Authority website for authoritative current rates.

Transit procedure

Advance notice. Master must notify SCA of vessel arrival at least 48 hours in advance; larger vessels 96+ hours.
Convoy assignment. Transits are organised into daily convoys — historically two southbound + one northbound per day; since 2015 expansion, most days permit simultaneous two-way operations over the New Suez Canal segment. Convoy assignment depends on ship type + charter status + advance notice.
Anchorage waiting. Vessels anchor in the Great Bitter Lake or Port Said Roads until convoy departure.
Boarding of pilots. Suez Canal pilots board at Port Said (northbound) or Port Suez (southbound). Two pilots per vessel are typical; large containers + tankers can require 3-4 pilots + a mooring pilot on approach.
Convoy transit. Under pilot guidance at 8 knots north or 8-14 south. Total transit time: 12-16 hours excluding waiting.
Passing. If a two-way segment, opposing convoys pass at designated points; otherwise, one convoy waits in a passing bay.
Disembarkation of pilots + agent. At the opposite end.

Suez Canal pilotage

Suez pilots are Egyptian nationals employed by SCA. Compulsory for all transiting vessels. The pilot advises the Master; the Master retains command of the vessel (though this authority tension is a recurring theme in Suez incident analyses, including the Ever Given grounding). The Suez Canal Authority owns the pilotage liability regime — this is a fundamental difference from most port pilotage where the local pilot association or authority provides indemnity.

Escort tug requirements

Following the Ever Given 2021 grounding, SCA implemented enhanced escort-tug requirements for large vessels:

Ships over 240 m LOA typically require 2 escort tugs for the full transit.
Ships over 320 m LOA (Neo-Panamax containers and ULCV) require 3-4 escort tugs.
In high-wind or reduced-visibility conditions, additional tugs on standby.
Escort tugs are provided by SCA (or by contracted Canal Marine).

Ever Given grounding — March 2021

On 23 March 2021, the 400 m, 220,000 DWT container ship Ever Given (owned by Shoei Kisen Kaisha, operated by Evergreen Marine) grounded diagonally across the southern single-lane section of the Suez Canal at kilometre 151. The vessel had lost steering control in a sandstorm gust while transiting at 13 knots. She remained grounded for six days blocking the Canal entirely — 400+ vessels queued at the northern and southern approaches. Refloat operations on 29 March by SMIT Salvage + Boskalis + SCA involved 14 tugs, dredging of ~30,000 m³ of sand, and rising tide.

Post-Ever Given SCA changes: (a) enhanced escort tug requirements above; (b) restrictions on transit during sandstorms and high winds; (c) mandatory Master-pilot conference at higher levels of formality; (d) speed review during northbound transits.

Closure risk + strategic significance

The Suez Canal handles approximately 12% of global seaborne trade by value, including ~30% of world container traffic between Asia and Europe. Closure or extended disruption (as during 2023-24 Houthi Red Sea campaign, which caused voluntary rerouting of ~70% of container traffic around Cape of Good Hope) has global supply-chain and freight-market implications. Historical closures: 1956-57 (Suez Crisis); 1967-75 (Six Day War closure); 2021 (Ever Given, 6 days). SCA has a strong incentive to maintain transit continuity; significant capital investment (New Suez Canal 2015 expansion; further expansion 2020-24) is aimed at preserving revenue-generation capacity even during regional volatility.