Suez route dominates Asia-USEC trade

© Khunaspix Dreamstime.

The poor old Panama Canal is having a tough time – and now comes news that its customers are leaving to ply the Suez Canal instead, which takes much larger ships. “An extra Suez loop adds nearly twice as much capacity as an existing Panama loop,” wrote Drewry. It is also becoming more attractive to carriers coming from southern China. But, believes the consultancy, ships will switch back to the Panama route once it can accommodate larger vessels – so long as its tolls are reasonable.