Ancient west–east canals were built to facilitate travel from the Nile to the Red Sea. One smaller canal is believed to have … See more

Despite the construction challenges that could have been the result of the alleged difference in sea levels, the idea of finding a shorter route to the east remained alive. In 1830, General Francis Chesney submitted a report to th… See more

In 2004, the canal was closed for three days when the oil tanker Tropic Brilliance became stuck.
On 18 October 2017, the OOCL Japan ran aground causing an obstruction which blocked th… See more

Economically, after its completion, the Suez Canal benefited primarily the sea trading powers of the Mediterranean countries, which now had much faster connections to the Near and Far East than the North and West Euro… See more

Before the canal's opening in 1869, goods were sometimes offloaded from ships and carried overland between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
The main alternative is around Cape Agulhas, … See more