https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Receive our free daily newsletter:

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. It runs between Port Said in the north and Suez in the south, cutting through the Isthmus of Suez and separating Africa from Asia. The canal is approximately 193 km long and allows ships to travel between Europe and Asia without navigating around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, reducing the journey by about 7 000 km. It is one of the world's most heavily used shipping lanes, with thousands of vessels transiting annually carrying oil, manufactured goods, grain and other cargo. The waterway has no locks, as the Mediterranean and Red Sea are at roughly the same water level, and can accommodate vessels with a draught of up to 20 m. Control of the canal is strategically and economically significant, as disruptions affect global trade flows and freight costs. The Suez Canal Authority, an Egyptian state-owned entity, operates and maintains the waterway and collects transit fees that represent a major source of revenue for Egypt. The canal opened to navigation in November 1869 after ten years of construction led by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps. It was nationalised by Egypt in 1956, triggering the Suez Crisis, and has since been expanded several times, most recently in 2015 with the addition of a parallel channel to increase capacity and reduce waiting times.

Suez Canal Updates


Procurement shown to be strategic business function, amid supply chain disruptions – CIPS
20th April 2026 By: Schalk Burger

Global disruptions, including geopolitical conflicts and logistics bottlenecks, have transformed procurement into one of the most strategically important capabilities within modern organisations,... 


War, Oil and South African Supply Chains
18th March 2026

Supply chain industry body SAPICS says that the effects of the war in Iran are already rippling through global supply chains and that South African businesses and consumers are unlikely to be... 


Port of Cape Town
TNPA monitoring shipping diversions but says no immediate rise in berthing requests
4th March 2026 By: Terence Creamer

South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) reports that it has not yet received any indication of additional berthing requests from shipping lines in the wake of the US-Israel attack... 


Investec Head of Logistics Vernon Sinden
2026: The year green shoots take root in logistics and supply chain
16th January 2026

The year 2025 proved to be a challenging year for the logistics and supply chain sector, where resilience and agility became essential for business survival. As we enter a new year against the... 


China's top diplomat heads to key strategic points in Africa
7th January 2026 By: Reuters

China's top diplomat began his annual New Year tour of Africa on Wednesday, with a focus on the strategically important east, as the world's No.2 economy seeks to reinforce its influence on the... 


1

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







301

pqt: 0.219s - ct: 0.317s - 170pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now