The Suez Canal is 193KM long. This is not your typical country waterway with some little houseboats on it by any means! Serious stuff belongs here! 20,000 ships pass annually through this Canal making it the busiest Canal in the world. Okay, pretty long, pretty deep and very wide and everything must tick like clockwork.

The governing body of the Canal is the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) who has the ultimate say in its matters and affairs. The daily running of the Canal is through this body and the Ministry of Transport whose duties still remain unclear to many. The SCA is head-quartered at Ismailia on Lake Timsah (Half way along the Canal). The Canal separates Egypt into two distinct sections: The Eastern Bank named the Sinai Peninsular and the Western Bank which is the main part of Egypt. The Canal itself was built to connect the Atlantic Ocean and thus the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and thus the Indian Ocean. The two main points at either end of the Canal are Port Said at the North end and Port Suez at the Southern end.

The Size and Scale

It is a tough Canal to maintain with constant dredging operations being undertaken and the SCA is forever planning larger and bigger channels as ships around the world get bigger, faster, fatter and deeper. Projects over the years have increased the dimensions of the Canal so much so that in 1989 the Canal was 14 times the original size than when the Canal was built in 1869. In 2001 a large project got under-way to deepen the Canal so that it could receive vessels of up to 210,000 tons with a depth of nineteen meters. And now things are getting even better and bigger with a planned development to 22 meters by 2010.

And amazingly at this depth 82% of the tanker fleet will use the Canal and 99% of all other ships will be able to use it. In fact it would be simpler to say that most vessels will be able to use the Canal once the current depth has been reached. Only those tankers classed as 'too large to see their own bow' should one be standing at the stern have to take the long route around. The Jahr Viking managed to get through the Canal with little problem and she weighed in at the time with a total of 564,763 tons, so as long as a ships draught is not greater than the depth of the Canal then there is not much preventing most ship sailing on through.

Of course cost factors regulate why the SCA wants to deepen the Canal. The larger the ship the more money they make. One fee paid by one large supertanker will cover the dues paid by the other fourteen ships in the convoy. The Canal Authority drags in well over $2,000,000,000 US dollars per year in dues paid and this will increase considerably once the Canal deepening project is completed. And as an aside this 2 billion that works its way into the SCA coffers is to pay for the transit of about 400 millions tons of cargo on an average of 36.8 ships/day (in 2000). Again this volumetric figure should increase disproportionately once a few more supertankers add their large payloads onto the list.

View of Port Suez from Canal

But to run a Canal is not cheap. Money has to be spent on maintenance and on the large deepening, widening and enlargement projects. As an example, when the Canal was deepened in to nineteen meters in 1980 the final adding up of the project came to US$1.3 billion. Not cheap by any means and in those days well above the income received through dues received. Another great expenditure is the massive Radar and the System of Navigational Aids that ensure the Safety and free flow of vessels in the Canal. The initial high tech system that was installed cost 18 million in 1981. Since then thousands of upgrades and modernizing features have been fitted at great cost to the SCA.

And of course other fees have to be paid out. Least of all of which is the constant maintenance of the banks that is nothing but sand for most of the Canals length. And the constant dredging of the Canals Bottom, the costs of the Tugs that are on constant standby as vessels pass through and etc, etc, etc.

But why is it so important that ships use the Canal? Quite simply to reduce fuel costs for those ships that worry about fuel costs and to reduce travel time for those who worry about getting there quickly! Apart from these two items there is no reason to use the Canal at all but most companies want to be quick and to save on fuel costs so.....! With the Suez Canal in operation the only people using the longer way around by the Cape Horn are those ships too large to fit through the Canal and those with a death wish (like yacht people).

As an example of the usefulness of the Canal: The distance between Jedda Port, Saudi Arabia and Konstaza in the Black Sea via the Cape of Good Hope is 11,771 nautical miles . The Suez Canal route reduces this distance by around 56%. The distance between Tokyo and Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands is reduced by 23% if made via the Suez Canal instead of the Cape of Good Hope. * The Suez Canal transports around 7% of the world sea-borne trade, 25 % of the trade to and from the Red Sea, and the Arabian Gulf, 20% of the trade to and from India, and South-East Asia, as well as 29% of the trade to and from the Far East.

The Convoys

Ships cannot just turn up at the Canal entrance, pay a man in the glass booth and then saunter on through. There is a large system and network of agencies and Government Bodies who control the arrangement of the Convoys and these must be strictly adhered to should one wish to sail through on time and with little hassle. To book a place on a convoy arrival times of the vessel must be sent 5 days prior to the event taking place.

There are three convoys daily passing through the Canal. There are two Convoys going Southbound (SB) and only one Convoy going Northbound (NB). The SB convoys are at 0100 and at 0700 hrs and the NB convoy is at 0500hrs. Vessels must arrive at a minimum of four hours before the departure time of the Convoy.

As the typical large Tanker, Bulk carrier or Dangerous Cargo Vessel going southbound is empty of cargo the speed maintained is around 10knots (14km/hr). Northbound the loaded Tankers, Bulk Carriers and the Dangerous Cargo Vessels (LPG/LNG) are required to transit at a slower speed, usually 8-9 Knots.

Once the SCA has a ships arrival time, ships particulars and data a place in the convoy will be issued to the Master. Faster and more manoeuvrable vessels will be placed at the front of the convoy with those more liable to breakdown, with dangerous cargoes on-board or be unable to maintain speed will be placed at the rear. Of course should a fine War Ship or Aircraft carrier happen to be in your convoy they will get the number one spot - especially if it is an American one. Many personally would prefer if they had the rear spot but .............!

A place in the convoy, a starting time for off and a pilot is all that is required. The Pilot Station will arrange the pilots and the Mooring Boat Company will arrange the Boatman to come on-board and the Searchlight Company will arrange for the fitting of a forward reaching searchlight.

The Passage

From Port Said the Canal extends in a near vertical line (as on a map) southward till it reaches the top of the Red Sea and the to official end of the Canal Zone of Port Suez. The Canal traverses the sands through the eastern edge of the salt-marsh area of Lake Manzala, over the red dessert soils of the Isthmus to reach the midpoint at the Northern edge of Lake Timsah. Continuing south it passes through Lake Timsah where the large town of Ismailia is situated, then on through the Great and Little Bitter Lakes (now a single lake) and southwards again past the city of Suez to reach the Gulf of Suez at Port Taufiq.

Most of the Canals length is single lane, with a maximum width of 365 meters or between the buoys that mark safe navigation of only 205 meters. So from Port Said to Ismailia there is nearly 70km to transit and only sand banks closing in on the vessels. From Ismailia to Port Taufiq there is another 83km to go but this is broken up by the 30km length of the Great and Little Bitter Lakes (which should now be called the Normal Bitter Lake seeing as how they are connected and are one).

The total combined length of the Canal where ships can pass by in opposite directions is 68km but as a general rule of thumb safety comes first as it should do. The lone Convoy going North typically steams right on through from one end to the other undisturbed and free to move, and depending on the lead vessels speed. But the Southbound Convoys are responsible for clearing the way for the NB Convoy. This is typically done by anchoring the first SB convoy in the Bitter Lakes and the second Convoy passes in the twin passage named the El Ballah pass. This is approximately one third of the distance from Port Said to the other end.

Setting off and settled into your place in the convoy it is time to look outwards. And you will see sand and more sand. Read all about "sand" in a later article!

It is often written in books that the Suez Canal is a hive of activity but in reality there is just sand and lots of it. The occasional Electricity Pylon will break the monotony, a train may race alongside for a little while before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke and the newly built Suspension Bridge across the Canal may give you moment to wonder why there are no cars using it (the tolls imposed are too expensive).

From the Anchorage to the Southern entrance there is a distance of 15km to cover. And at the other end from the lighted buoy to the entrance of the Canal in Port Said is a distance of 22.5km. Enough time to enjoy the sea before getting sand up your nose.

As an interesting aside: Many holiday makers from Europe and America look forwards to and dream about a holiday with sun, sea and sand! And that is what the Suez Canal has and lots of. The water in the Canal is salt water, there is enough sand to keep every child in the world in sand castles for years to come and the sun beats down without fail.

Maybe worth considering!