Suez Canal: The Modern Maritime Wonder

Abstract

Canal Suez is one of the supreme engineering wonder of the world. The canal is owned and maintained by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt. Suez Canal is connecting Mediterranean and Red Seas and was officially opened on Nov 17, 1869. This maritime wonder took more than 15 years to plan and build. The Canal construction was repeatedly hundred by political disputes, labor shortages and even a deadly cholera outbreak. When finally completed, the 101 NM long waterways permanently transformed international shipping by allowing vessel to skip the long and deceitful transit around the southern tip of Africa. The Suez Canal has enjoyed increased traffic in recent years, with roughly 50 ships passing through its waters every day. However, the canal is still hampered by its narrow width and shallow depth, which are insufficient to accommodate two way traffic from modern tanker ships. In 2014, Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority announced an ambitious plan to deepen the canal and create a new 22-mile lane branching off the main channel. Preliminary work has already begun which Egyptian authorities claim could more than double the canal’s annual revenue by 2023. It is an interesting reviewed paper based both on primary and on secondary information and some critical analysis. Paper describes history, engineering wonders, interesting fact and figure of Suez Canal and excellent ambition of human and present status of one of the maritime success of shipping trade that improving the international maritime business and transportation. Keywords: Canal; Suezmax; Traffic;