Suez Canal Authority: Revenues Drop 40% Since Beginning of the Year

A container ship of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea (EPA)

Dollar revenues from Egypt's Suez Canal have dropped 40% from the beginning of the year compared to 2023, canal authority head Osama Rabie said on Thursday.
The drop was reported after attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthis which caused major shippers to divert away from the route, according to Reuters.
Rabie said in a late television program that ship transit traffic declined 30% between Jan. 1 and 11 compared to a year prior.
He said the number of vessels to pass through the Suez Canal dropped to 544 this year from 777 in the equivalent period of 2023.
The Suez Canal is a crucial source of scarce foreign currency for Egypt, and authorities have been trying hard to boost revenues recently, including through a canal expansion in 2015. A further expansion is underway.
The Houthis have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea for weeks to support Hamas in the war against Israel.
Many commercial shippers are diverting their ships to other routes.
Last month, the US announced a new international mission to patrol the Red Sea and deter attacks.
Rabie said only ships that had to proceed promptly with their journey had diverted around the Cape of Good Hope and that others were waiting for the situation to stabilize.
He said the security concern to shippers could not be overcome with discounts or other incentives offered by the canal.