The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) responded to questions circulated online regarding the Suez Canal allowing warships of different nationalities to pass through.
The SCA on its official Facebook page confirmed its commitment to implementing international agreements that guarantee freedom of maritime navigation for ships passing through the canal; whether commercial or military ships, without discrimination based on nationality.
The authority explained that this is in line with the provisions of the Constantinople Convention, which constitutes a basic guarantee for preserving the canal’s position as the most important waterway in the world, noting that the passage of warships through the Suez Canal is subject to special procedures.
The SCA pointed out that the Constantinople Convention, signed in 1888, has since then defined the basic features of the nature of international dealings with the Suez Canal.
The authority stated that the Convention preserved the right of all countries to benefit from this global facility, which the Convention expressed in its first article by stipulating that the Suez Maritime Canal shall always be free and open, whether in times of war or in times of peace, to every commercial or military vessel regardless of nationality.
