ISMAILIA, Apr 17 (NNN-MENA) – Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman, Osama Rabie, said yesterday, there is a slight improvement in navigation through the canal during March.
The number of ships passing through the canal in March increased by 2.4 percent, compared to January, Rabie announced, during a ceremony in Ismailia Governorate, in north-east Egypt, celebrating the achievements made by the canal, over the past few years.
He added that, the waterway recorded an 8.8 percent increase in revenues compared to January.
The SCA chief also noted that, 264 ships adjusted their routes to pass through the Suez Canal instead of the Cape of Good Hope, since the beginning of February.
“The U.S. is currently attacking the Houthis in Yemen, and it remains unclear whether these U.S. attacks have weakened the Houthis’ ability to target shipping in the Red Sea,” Rabie said.
Egypt, which relies heavily on revenue from the Suez Canal, has repeatedly called for calm, following a series of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Last month, Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said that, due to the regional turmoil – including attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis – the Suez Canal was losing approximately 800 million U.S. dollars in revenue each month.
The U.S. military has resumed airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in northern Yemen, since Mar 15, in a bid to deter them from attacking Israeli targets, the U.S. Navy, and international shipping lanes in the region.
However, the Houthis responded by affirming its unwavering support for Gaza. It has resumed attacks on Israeli targets and U.S. military vessels in the Red Sea, as Israel ended a Jan ceasefire with Hamas and restarted military operations in Gaza.– NNN-MENA
