As is the trend in recent times, 73 per cent of the vessels crossing
the canal in either direction during this period were sub-Panamax carriers of
less than 4,000 TEU capacity, says Alphaliner, a research firm. Container
ships between 4,000 and 7,500 TEU capacity accounted for 15 per cent of the
overall traffic through the Suez, while the remaining 12 per cent were vessels
between 7,500 and 18,000 TEU capacity. Not a single ULCS megamax container
ship of 18,000 or more TEU capacity has traversed the canal over the past 40
weeks, the report said. The Suez Canal
has lost nearly $6 billion revenue this year as container ships skirt it amid
militant attacks in the Red Sea