Original Owner Suez Canal Company

Construction Began April 1859

Date Completed November 1869

Locks 0

Status Open

Navigation Authority Suez Canal Authority

Country Egypt
The Suez Canal is an
artificial sea-level
waterway in Egypt,
connecting the
Mediterranean Sea and
the Red Sea. it allows
water transportation
between Europe and Asia
without navigating around
Africa. The northern
terminus is Port Said and
the southern terminus is
Port Tawfik at the city of
Suez. Ismailia.
How many miles
shorter is it to go
through the Suez
Canal when
traveling from
Spain to the
Indian Ocean than
going around
Africa?
The Characteristics of the Suez Canal
( 1869 – 2010 )
Satellite view of the Suez Canal.
This Canal does not use locks
since the sea level is the same.
Ships pass each other by waiting
in the lakes.
Why is the Suez The Main Advantages of the Suez Canal
Canal important?

Trade route connecting  Longest Canal in the world without

middle east, Asia, locks.
Europe.
 Navigation goes day and night.
Alternative route
involved sailing around
southern tip of Africa –
 Liable to be widened and deepened
a long and treacherous when required to cope with the
journey. expansion in ship sizes of the world
fleet .
Important artery for
EMPIRE (British  The VTMS system is securing the
access to India) but highest standards of safety to the
also OIL supplies vessels transiting the Canal.
The Importance of the Suez Canal

 The geographical position of the Suez Canal makes it the

shortest route between East & west as compared with the Cape
of Good Hope.

 The Canal route achieves a saving in distance between the

ports East & West the Canal, the matter that is translated into
saving in time, fuel consumption and ship operating costs .

 About 10% of the world seaborne trade passes through the

Suez Canal.
Daily average number of transits against
Suez Canal capacity

Capacity 98 ships
fully effective use of the By-Passes and
Capacity 88 ships through the change of the convoy system.

Capacity 78 ships under the current transit system

Daily Average
The most important product in the region is oil.
The graphic below shows the shipping lanes for
oil products in the region.
 The Present Canal 2010

100 % of Container fleet 96.8 % of the Bulk fleet

62.6 % of the Tanker fleet 100 % of Other types

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 The traffic in the canal is one way. Ships must wait
in the lakes for their time to move through the
canal.

 
Safety of traffic and navigational support

Suez Canal Vessel Traffic Management System

( VTMS )

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 Development of Pricing Policies

The philosophy of the Suez Canal toll’s is based on

the following considerations :

1- Comparison of the ship voyage cost through the Canal and

through other alternative routes.

2- Ship type and size.

3- Market conditions and all the economic factors affecting

maritime transportation.

4- Keeping the Suez Canal the first choice for customers.

** The Tolls is revised and published yearly.

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 The Economic Crisis Effect on
Suez Canal
2008 2009 Change
No. of vessels 21415 17228 - 19.6 %
Tonnage 910.6 734.5 - 19.3 %
M.SCNT
Cargo 723.0 559.2 - 22.7 %
M. tons
Revenues 5373 4281 -22.3 %
M. $
Piracy and the Suez Canal
 The Piracy
 Acts of piracy had re-emerged following the end of World War II. Such
criminal acts began to be practiced on a much wider scale in the 80’s, and
covered many parts of the world such as the China Sea, Malacca Strait in South
East Asia, the coast of Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, Indonesia and
the coast of South America ( Brazil ).

 The East coast of Africa, particularly the Somali coast, the Gulf of Aden as
well as the Horn of Africa are in fact very hot spots so far as piracy operations
are concerned.
 Piracy has spread in this part of the world as a result of the utter chaos
that hit Somalia with the advent of its civil war in 1991.

 This area; the East Coast of Africa, is quite sensitive as it is the southern
entrance to the Red Sea which is a very important trade route that leads to the
Suez Canal, the route of choice for more than 30 million TEU’s per year, beside
more 30% of the world demand for energy sources .
 The acts of piracy, along the Somali coast line which extends for more
than 3300 km, used to target the fishing boats that reached the Somali territorial
waters. With the development of the pirate’s capabilities, however, they started
to attack commercial vessels that frequent this maritime route.
Facts – Somalia’s Pirates
Somalia’s pirates have captured ships including:
 Tankers with 2 Million Barrels of Oil [$100M]
 The Maersk Alabama [U.S. Ship]
 ‘Le Ponant’ [French Luxury Ship]

Recent Attacks:
Date Attack
4-4-09 Pirates capture Le Ponant
32 crew and passengers captive

3-20-09 Pirates capture ‘Plaka de Bakio’, a Spanish fishing ship, with grenade launchers.
26 crew captive

11-11- Pirates attempt to seize Danish Ship

08 2 Pirates killed. Attack stopped.

9-25-08 MV Faina captured. Pirates seize Russian-made tanks, grenade launchers, and
military hardware.

9-4-08 ‘Al Mansoura’ captured.

25 crew captive.
 1

The Actions 
3

High Risk of
Terrorist
Attacks

1. Trade Ships, carrying cargo (oil, fish, machinery…) pass through Suez Canal,
going south.
2. Ships sell some of their goods, and continue south.
3. Ships travel around Somalia.
 Path #2:

High Risk of Attacks

1. Ships come from the Horn of Africa trying to get products to Europe.
2. Ships enter the Gulf of Aden.
3. Ships pass through Suez Canal.
 Key:

Piracy 2008 Maps Yellow: Attempted Attack

Red: Actual Attack
Purple: Suspicious Vessel

Gulf of Aden Worldwide

Most attacks are concentrated around the Gulf

of Aden. Why? The main reason is ships carrying
all kinds of goods pass through that region, and
the region is poor and volatile.
Key:

Yellow: Attempted Attack

Red: Actual Attack
Purple: Suspicious Vessel
Key:

Yellow: Attempted Attack

Red: Actual Attack
Purple: Suspicious Vessel
How Is It Addressed Globally?
Countries are trying to settle piracy with naval
force, however this is controversial. Some
believe it makes the pirates angrier and causes
more attacks.
Groups such as the IMB(International Maritime
Bureau) and the PRC (Piracy Reporting Center)
try to help deal with piracy safely through
awareness .
The United Nations has held several conferences
to suggest solutions to the issue.
How Do Organizations Handle Piracy?
• UN had Security Council meeting.
• Articles 100-107 of the Law of the Sea Convention
passed.
 Deal with piracy and repression on high seas

• U.S. Navy assists in combating pirates and rescuing

hostages.
• IMB and PRC keep live maps of piracy, try to
combat piracy by securing commonly attacked
areas, and support common awareness of the
issues.
• The U.S. government has promised to help combat
piracy through naval force.
Terrorism in Troubled Waters
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