The Suez Canal is a concept, specifically an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez. It is a key trade route that divides Africa and Asia. The canal's construction, driven by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, began on April 25, 1859, and it officially opened on November 17, 1869. The problem it solved was the need for ships to circumnavigate the entire African continent, reducing the sea journey between the North Atlantic and northern Indian oceans by approximately 8,900 kilometers.
The mechanism of the canal is a sea-level waterway, meaning it operates without locks, allowing seawater to flow freely through its 193.30-kilometer length. It is currently operated and maintained by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt. The canal's operation is governed by the Convention of Constantinople of 1888, which stipulates that it must be open to vessels of all nations, for commerce or war, "in time of war as in time of peace, without distinction of flag". This international concept of free passage is central to its function.
A major change occurred in July 1956 when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal, transferring ownership from the concessionary company, which was largely owned by British and French shareholders, to the Egyptian government. More recently, a significant expansion project, the New Suez Canal, was launched in 2014 and opened in 2016. This project created a new parallel channel and widened parts of the existing one to increase the doubled parts of the waterway to 50%, aiming to reduce transit time from 18 hours to 11 hours for the southbound convoy and nearly double the capacity from 49 to 97 ships per day. The fundamental principle of the canal's international accessibility, as established by the 1888 Convention, has stayed the same, despite temporary closures due to conflicts like the Six-Day War in 1967. The SCA also periodically adjusts temporary transit surcharges, with the latest increase announced for July 15, 2026, for most vessel classes.