We entered the Suez Canal about 4 AM in the second of two convoys going South. According to the accords signed in 1888, any ship from any nation, commercial or military can traverse the canal. The Egyptian army controls the land for 3 km on each side. It was interesting to see the Suez Canal Bridge because it is closed from 5 AM to 5 PM for security as the convoys pass through.
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| Suez Canal Bridge |
The canal is 120 miles long can handle ships that are 254 feet wide and a depth of 66 feet. In 2014 a project was completed to build a second canal for about 25 miles, which increased the capacity of the canal. An average of 44 ships traverse the canal each day. The Clio pays $40,000 to cross the canal, but the charge depends on your tonnage and type of cargo and could be as high as $1M. Last year the canal at $8 B in revenue.
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| Ann, John, Bob, and Richard on the Suez |
When we reach Bitter Lake about halfway through the canal, our convoy will pass the first convoy, and our passenger ship will be the first to exit the canal after about 10 hours. Pilots can only work for 6 hours. At Bitter Lake we also saw the Northbound convoy.
The canal dig was started in 1859. 120,000 men died during its construction and a million people were involved out of Egypt’s 4 million. The canal opened in 1869.
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| Building the Suez Canal |
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