Suez Canal revenues surged 56.7% year-on-year to $567.1mn in August, as larger vessels and heavier cargo volumes returned to the waterway, strengthening signs that traffic is recovering from the Red Sea disruption that began in late 2023.
The Canal handled 1,358 vessels, up 27% from 1,070 a year earlier, while net tonnage jumped 51.1% to 68.3mn tonnes from 45.2mn tonnes, according to Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie. August 2025 revenues stood at $326mn.
The rebound nevertheless remains incomplete. August receipts were still about 36% below the $888.6mn recorded in August 2023, before security disruption around the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb prompted major shipping lines to divert vessels around the Cape of Good Hope.
The faster increase in tonnage than vessel numbers points to a shift towards larger ships and heavier traffic. Container shipping is also recovering: net container ship tonnage reached 72.1mn tonnes in January-August 2026, up 54.2% from 46.7mn tonnes a year earlier.
The improvement is being reinforced by the gradual reinstatement of scheduled services. The SCA said services operated by CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and COSCO have returned, while COSCO-linked OOCL Portugal, a roughly 24,000-TEU vessel, completed the group’s first southbound Suez transit since the regional disruption began.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are also shifting four additional Gemini services back through Suez in September, while CMA CGM and its Ocean Alliance partners are restoring further eastbound Europe-Asia services. Some westbound routes remain around the Cape, however, underscoring that carrier confidence remains conditional on regional security.
Higher traffic has also been complemented by increased Canal charges. From 15 July, the SCA raised temporary additional surcharges across most vessel categories, including a 12% surcharge on container ships, amplifying the revenue recovery generated by rising vessel numbers and tonnage.
The August figures therefore mark a transition from stabilization towards a broader Suez recovery, rather than full normalization. A sustained return of scheduled Asia-Europe services would strengthen Egypt’s services exports, current-account receipts and foreign-currency inflows, helping rebuild one of the economy’s most important external revenue streams after nearly two years of disruption.
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