Keys that explain why the channel is important …

The Suez Canal, which connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, is stranded since the grounding of a large container ship on Tuesday in the southern part of this man-made passage, one of the most important for maritime transport and for oil in the Persian Gulf .

In the past, transit through the canal has been interrupted by armed conflicts and, more recently, by bad weather, to which the Egyptian authorities stressed on this occasion the cause of the crossing of the Panamanian-flagged vessel Ever Given, in particular because strong winds with desert sand and poor visibility.

An important seaway

The Suez Canal, inaugurated in 1869, connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, shortening the path of ships that navigate between Europe and Asia, which in this way do not have to surround the entire African continent, with the time and the risks involved. . door.

Currently, around 10% of world maritime trade passes through the canal and 25% of containers, with the distinction that many of the ships that pass through it are tankers, which sometimes have to unload crude and channel it through a pipeline.

Most of the oil that comes from the Persian Gulf to Europe goes through the canal, as does crude from Russia that goes to India, China and other Asian countries. To a lesser extent, it is also a transportation route between the East Coast of the United States and Asia.

The original canal and the new Suez Canal

The Egyptian authorities inaugurated the so-called new Suez Canal in August 2015, which consisted of an extension of the existing one over a section of 37 kilometers and the construction of a parallel of 35 kilometers (out of a total of 195 kilometers) to allow the passage of deeper vessels with more tonnage

The two parallel tracks are located in the northern part of the canal, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Great Lake. The ship Ever Given was trapped in the southern section, at kilometer 151, so there is no alternative passage and access from the Red Sea is completely blocked.

The two main ports and logistics centers are in Suez (south) and Port Said, on the Mediterranean shore, where ships dock and wait their turn to cross the canal in one of the two directions, although the time is wait is significantly reduced. since 2015.

Millions of tonnes of freight

The Suez Canal Authority has boasted of good results despite the crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the year in which the channel recorded sales of $ 5.61 billion ( 4.615 billion euros).

A total of 18,829 ships crossed the Suez Canal in 2020, with 1,170 million tonnes on board, an increase of 51 ships and 38 million tonnes compared to 2019.

At the start of 2021, the management entity highlighted “the success of the flexible marketing and pricing policies adopted” to attract new customers, and announced that it would maintain the 2020 tariffs this year, as well as the discounts and incentives offered to some types. of boats.

The Suez Canal is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for the Egyptian state coffers and therefore, in addition to its geographical location between Africa and Asia, it is of strategic importance for the government and the army, in charge of its security. .