Egypt declares Suez Canal "safe" as shipping traffic returns to normal

Egypt has said the Suez Canal remains “safe,” with maritime traffic operating normally along one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

The Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie made the remarks at a ceremony in Alexandria marking World Maritime Day 2026, organized by the Maritime Transport Sector of Egypt’s Ministry of Transport.

Rabie said vessel traffic through the canal was proceeding regularly, with revenues reaching $567.1 million in August, up 56.7% from $326 million in the same month of 2025.

He stressed that navigation remained stable and that services were being provided with high efficiency. He added that canal pilots — specialized local navigators who board vessels to guide them safely through the canal’s narrow passage — were performing their duties with the highest levels of readiness and professionalism.

According to navigation reports, 1,358 vessels carrying 68.3 million metric tons of net cargo transited the canal in August, compared with 1,070 vessels carrying 45.2 million metric tons during the same month last year.

Rabie said the figures represented increases of 27% in vessel traffic, 51.1% in net cargo and 56.7% in revenue.

Referring to global and regional geopolitical developments in recent years, Rabie said international crises had directly affected global supply chains. However, he stressed that the Suez Canal had once again demonstrated its critical and irreplaceable role in maintaining those supply chains.

The Egyptian announcement comes amid continued tensions around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as a key gateway to the Suez Canal.

Following Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip that began in October 2023, Yemen’s Houthi group targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, prompting major shipping companies to divert vessels around the Cape of Good Hope.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty recently said that tensions in the Red Sea had cost Egypt around $11 billion in lost Suez Canal revenues.

By Vafa Guliyeva