Suez Canal Roars Back: Revenue Jumps 17.5% as Shipping Giants Return

Egypt's Suez Canal is staging a comeback. After years in which regional conflict scared the world's biggest shipping lines away from the Red Sea, traffic and revenue through the vital waterway are climbing steadily — nearly $2 billion has flowed into canal coffers so far this year, a 17.5 percent increase on the same period last year.

The numbers behind the recovery are substantial: 5,874 vessels have transited the canal in the period, carrying more than 247 million tons of cargo. The rebound follows the return of major carriers, with French giant CMA CGM resuming full Suez transits and Denmark's Maersk beginning a stepwise return after the regional ceasefire agreed in October 2025 eased the threat that had hung over Red Sea shipping.

The cost of the lost years was enormous. Egypt estimates it forfeited around $10.5 billion in canal revenue as the disruption that began in 2023 — driven by the Gaza war and Houthi attacks on vessels in solidarity with Palestinians — forced carriers to reroute around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks and enormous cost to voyages between Asia and Europe.

For Egypt, the canal is far more than infrastructure; it is one of the state's most important sources of foreign currency, alongside tourism and remittances. Its decline through the disruption years compounded an already difficult economic period, making the current recovery a genuine strategic relief for Cairo.

The authorities are now projecting confidently: the Suez Canal Authority forecasts revenues of about $8 billion for the 2026/27 fiscal year, rising toward $10 billion the following year. Those targets assume the regional calm holds — a reminder that the canal's fortunes, like so much in the region, remain hostage to a peace that is still consolidating.