Suez Canal Reports Recovery In Container Ship Crossings & Eyes Greater Cooperation With Panama Canal

According to the chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, Admiral Osama Rabie, the container ship crossings through the waterway are steadily increasing.

Sources suggest that shipping companies are gradually resuming their services through the strategic route, shifting from the alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope.

This announcement was made on Sunday in a meeting at Ismailia’s SCA’s Guidance Building Headquarters, where he hosted Ahmed Fawzy El-Sherif, Egypt’s ambassador to Panama.

In the talks, both officials discussed the strategies to improve th relationship between the Suez and Panama Canals, in a way beneficial for both countries, controlling the strategic waterways handling a large proportion of world maritime trade.

Rabie highlighted the similarities between both canals and the challenges that they continue to face, due to recent weather conditions, including a drought-like situation triggered by the worst El Niño event, along with a surge in traffic wanting to use the canals given the current geopolitical conflicts in the Gulf involving Iran and the U.S and the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.

The officials agreed that Suez and Panama Canal Authorities must ensure greater coordination and cooperation to ensure the sustainability of the global supply chains, which depend on the functioning of the canals.

El-Sherif said that both countries should also strengthen their bilateral relations across different areas.

He expressed interest in coordinating between both countries regarding this matter during his tenure and also proposed the idea of conducting joint maritime events and exercises to bolster the relationship further.