An infographic released by research and discussion forum Transpacific Stabilisation Agreement shows the contrast in container throughput for the Panama and Suez Canals in Q2, 2015.
It was previously reported that the Suez Canal’s volume projections had been exaggerated with Drewry arguing that the estimates are not specifically based on the cargo sector and focus more on the assumed increase in vessel transits.
However, these overblown statistics could prove to be fairly accurate, as the infographic shows that, over the recent Q2 period, the Suez Canal has handled nearly 60,000 TEU more than its previous volume figure for the same period in 2014 – and is ahead of the Panama Canal by more than 50,000 TEU.
The US$8.5 billion Suez Canal was recently inaugurated, leading to speculation that its volumes could increase dramatically in the coming years – a factor that could also be realised through the dredging of its new lane via East Port Said, which began construction earlier this week.
(Source: Transpacific Stabilisation Agreement)
