Egypt: Could the Suez Canal be jeopardised?

By on September 8, 2010
A Russian ship is currently exploring a new sea route between Europe and China, to the detriment of the Egyptians,

who fear that the Suez Canal will gradually lose its customers. The new route along the coast of Siberia in Russia is now freed from ice all the year because of the climate warming. Shorter than the route through the Suez Canal, the northern route will save thousands of dollars in fuel. If the experiment is successful, the opening of this new shipping route could represent a serious threat to the Suez Canal, the third source of remittances (foreign currency) for Egypt. This observation then goes along with the hypothesis put forward by the British think-tank, Chatham House, as some owners, given the problems of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, could choose to make a detour via the Cape of Good Hope, like the Norwegian Odfjell and the Danish AP.Moeller-Maersk, which decided their fleets will pass off South Africa rather than in the Red Sea, despite a ten days more sailing and an additional cost of 200 000 to 300 000 US dollars. It should be noted that the president of the Suez Canal Organisation, Ahmad Fadel, has been very confident and reassuring when he said that none of the few ships captured by the pirates were en route to the Suez Canal. It should be also noted that 1800 vessels pass monthly through the Canal, but the revenues were down for more than 20 % in 2009…

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