Why we need the Suez Canal
Humans changed Earth’s geography to create this long waterway through Egypt, but what happens when the route is obstructed?
For the seafarers of the world, land is an obstacle to navigate. But this doesn’t always mean taking the long route around it to get from A to B. In the 1800s, a faster path was created for trade between continents. The result was the Suez Canal, a human-built waterway through Egypt.
This canal is now the shortest course that ships can take to travel between Europe and Asia, with 12 per cent of all global trade sailing through it. More than 50 vessels embark on the journey along this canal each day, which can take between 12 and 16 hours from end to end. The shortcut has allowed trading ships to shorten their delivery of a variety of products between some countries by a matter of weeks.
As the huge importance of this canal was realised, expansion projects have allowed the canal to accommodate larger ships and two-way traffic. But the southern stretch of the canal is much narrower, only allowing one-way traffic.
The Suez Canal was brought to global attention in March, when one cargo vessel caused major problems for hundreds more. Called Ever Given, this ship was on its way to Rotterdam from China, encountering drastic difficulties during parts of its navigation. Amid a sandstorm, strong winds pushed against the containers on board the boat. This caused the pilots to lose control over the ship’s positioning. The stern began to rotate, and the bow was forced too close to the side of the canal. The vessel became grounded, making contact with the shallows. The disruption lasted for six days and prevented $10 billion (£7.2 billion) a day being made through traded goods, highlighting just how essential this maritime trade route really is.