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It is historically recorded that Egypt was the first country to dig a man-made canal across its lands to connect the Mediterranean sea to the Red sea via the River Nile and its branches, and the first who dug it was Senausert III, Pharaoh of Egypt (1874 B.C.) . This canal was abandoned to silting and reopened several times as follows:

- The canal of Sity I

1310 B.C.

- The canal of Nkhaw

61 B.C.

- The canal of Darius I

510 B.C.

- The canal of Ptolemy II

285 B.C.

- The canal of the Romans (Emperor Trajan)

117 B.C.

- The canal of Amir El Moemeneen

640 A.D.

 

- The Suez canal is actually the first canal directly linking the Mediterranean sea to the Red sea. It was opened for

  international navigation on 17 November 1869.
- Egypt nationalized its canal on 26 July 1956
- The canal was closed five times, the last time was for 8 years (1967-1975) and was reopened in 1975

Development of Suez Canal

ITEM

UNIT

1869

1956

1962

1980

1994

1996

2001

 2008

Percentage increase  (1869-2001)

WIDTH AT 11M DEPTH

M

44

60

90

160

210

210

210

 210

477%

MAX DRAFT OF SHIPS

FEET

22

35

38

53

56

58

62

 68

282%

OVERALL LENGTH

KM

164

175

175

190.25

190.25

190.25

190.25

 190.25

116%

DOUBLED PARTS

KM

 -

29

29

78

78

78

78

 78

269%

WATER DEPTH

M

10

14

15.5

19.5

20.5

21

22.5

 23.5

225%

CROSS SECTIONAL AREA

M2

304

1100

1800

3600

4300

4500

4800

 4800

1579%

MAX. TONNAGE (DWT)

TON

5000

30,000

80,000

150,000

180,000

185,000

210,000

 210.000

4200%

Characteristics of the current canal

Overall length

193 km

From the fairway buoy to Port Said lighthouse

22.5 km

From the waiting area to the southern entrance

15 km

From Port Said to Ismailia

78.5 km

From Ismailia to Port Tawfik

83.65 km

The length of doubled parts

68 km

Width at water level

300/365 m

Width between buoys

180/205 m

Maximum permissible draught for ships

68 ft.

The canal depth

21m

Maximum permissible air draft

68 m

Cross sectional area

4500/4800 m2

Advantages of the Suez Canal


- Longest canal in the world with no locks
- Compared with other waterways, the percentage of accidents is almost nil.
- Navigation goes day and night
- Liable to be widened and deepened when required to cope with the expansion in ship sizes.
Trade route saving

The geographical position of the Suez Canal makes it the shortest route between East and West as compared to the “Cape of Good Hope”. The Canal route achieves a saving in distance between the ports north and south the Canal, the matter that is translated into other savings in time, fuel consumption and ship operating costs as shown in the table below:

* Saving In Distance (Suez Canal & Cape)
 

From

To

Distance (N. Miles)

Saving
%

S. C.

CAPE

Ras Tanura

 

Constantza

4,144

12,094

66

Lavera

4,684

10,783

57

Rotterdam

6,436

11,169

42

New York

8,281

11,794

30

Jeddah

Piraeus

1,320

11,207

88

Jeddah

Liverpool 

3,902

10,702

63.5

Bombay

Rotterdam

6,337

10,743

41

Bombay

Marseille 

4,558

10,362

56

Shanghahai 

Genoa 

8,670

13,619

36.3

Suez Canal Transit Tolls
The following table indicates the Suez canal transit dues taking effect as of January 1,1999.
Further facilities and privileges are to be granted as explained below.
click here for an easy way to calculate Suez Canal transit tolls

RATES OF TRANSIT DUES TO BE APPLIED FROM 01/04/2008

All figures is based on SDR (see below)

  Suez Canal Suez Canal net tonnage net tonnage
Vessel type
 Condition First
5000 		Next
5000 		Next
10000 		Next
20000		 Next
30000		 Next
50000		 Rest

Tankers of Crude Oil

Laden
7,65
4,80
3,90
1,70
1,50
1,40
1,30

 

Ballast
6,50
4,08
3,32
1,45
1,28
1,19
1,11

Tankers of Petroleum Products

Laden
7,65
4,80
3,90
2,35
2,30
2,20
2,10

 

Ballast
6,50
4,08
3,32
1,45
1,28
1,19
1,11

Dry Bulk Carriers

Laden
7,65
5,20
4,40
1,40
1,30
1,25
1,20

 

Ballast
6,50
4,42
3,74
1,19
1,11
1,06
1,02

LPG Carriers

Laden
7,65
4,90
3,90
2,80
2,60
2,50
2,50

 

Ballast
6,50
4,17
3,32
2,38
2,21
2,13
2,13

LNG Carriers

Laden
7,65
5,30
4,90
3,40
3,30
3,20
3,10

 

Ballast
6,50
4,51
4,17
2,89
2,81
2,72
2,64

Chemical and Other Liquid Bulk

Laden
8,00
5,50
4,70
3,00
2,90
2,80
2,80

 

Ballast
6,80
4,68
4,00
2,55
2,47
2,38
2,38

Container Ships

Laden
7,65
5,00
4,00
2,80
2,60
2,05
1,95

 

Ballast
6,50
4,25
3,40
2,38
2,21
1,74
1,66

General Cargo Ships

Laden
7,65
5,50
4,00
3,00
2,90
2,85
2,80

 

Ballast
6,50
4,68
3,40
2,55
2,47
2,42
2,38

RO - RO Ships

Laden
7,65
5,30
4,30
3,10
2,90
2,80
2,70

 

Ballast
6,50
4,51
3,66
2,64
2,47
2,38
2,30

Vehicle Carriers

Laden
7,65
5,00
3,85
2,75
2,60
2,05
1,95

 

Ballast
6,50
4,25
3,27
2,34
2,21
1,74
1,66

Passenger Ships

Laden
7,65
5,00
4,30
3,05
3,00
2,90
2,80

 

Ballast
6,50
4,25
3,66
2,59
2,55
2,47
2,38

Special Floating Units

Laden
8,30
5,10
4,80
3,40
3,20
2,90
2,80

 

Ballast
0,00
0,00
0,00
0,00
0,00
0,00
0,00

Other Vessels

Laden