The Head of the Suez Canal Authority in Egypt Osama Rabea announced Saturday that navigation statistics for the canal during the first quarter of 2022 recorded a remarkable increase in the number and tonnage of ships transiting the waterway, which has not been impacted by the Russian-Ukrainian war.
He said: “The number of ships transiting the canal from January to March of this year amounted to 5,303 ships, compared to 4,581 ships transiting during the same period of last year, with an increase of 15.8 percent.”
He added that the tonnage transiting the canal increased by 7.4 percent.
The net tonnages recorded during the first quarter of this year was 313,300,000 tons, compared to 291,700,000 tons during the same period of last year, an increase of 21,600,000 tons.
Rabea said that the Suez Canal achieved during the first quarter of 2022 – from January to March – an increase of 20 percent of its revenue in US dollars, as the canal’s revenues recorded US$ 1.69 billion, compared to US$ 1.40 billion during the same period last year.
He added that navigational reports during the first quarter of this year monitored a significant increase in the transit rates of various types of ships compared to the same period last year.
The number of bulk vessels increased by 29.1 percent and container ships transiting the canal increased by 17 percent , while the percentage of carrier vessels increased by 17 percent, cars rose by 27.2 percent, and the number of cruise ships passing through the canal doubled compared to the same period last year.
General cargo ships recorded an 18.1 percent increase, and tankers increased by 6.5 percent.
Rabea added that navigational reports during the first quarter of this year detected a significant increase in transit rates of various types of ships compared to the same period last year.
The number of cruise ships passing through the canal doubled compared to the same period last year.
The navigational reports in the canal during the first quarter of this year and the rise in the average daily transit of ships transiting the canal during the last period clearly reflects the recovery witnessed by the maritime transport market, and the remarkable growth in the global trade movement, he noted.
