Vessels of 40m beam and 68m height to transit the Suez Canal as of January 2008
The board of directors of the Suez Canal Authority “SCA” has passed new “Rules of Navigation” to organise vessels’ and tankers’ transit through the Suez Canal navigational channel. The new Rules come into force as at 1January 2008.
The most important amendments to the Rules include allowing vessels with 62 ft draught to transit and increasing the allowed breadth from 32m up to 40m following improvement operations as well as imposing a fine on vessels using divers without permission from outside the SCA inside the canal boundaries.
A SCA source advised that the new Rules constitute an inprovement of the old; the new Rules allow an increase in the height for transiting vessels of up to 68m as a result of building the Mobarak Al Salam bridge on the Canal and also allowing 95,000 tons vessels to berth at the Ballah loop in the second south bound convoy.
The amendments also allow vessels loaded with dangerous cargo, such as radioactive or inflammable materials to transit to bring conformity with the latest amendments provided for in international conventions.
The SCA will also have the right to determine the number of tugs required to assist warships transiting the Canal to achieve the highest degree of safety during transit.
With thanks to Eldib Pandi, Egypt, for supplying this information.
