Security at Suez Canal

The 4 kilometer Al-Salam bridge is the main gateway crossing the Suez Canal to Port Said’s East Terminal, where the Suez Canal Container Terminal is operated by APM Terminals. As it was closed in 2013 due to security concerns in the framework of the unstable political situation situation in Egypt. The recent announcement of the Egyptian Military to reopen the bridge „in the next days“ will might arouse the interest of the insurgents on the Sinai Peninsula. 

Those ISIS affiliated Egyptian insurgents recently attacked an gas pipeline on Northern Sinai which carried gas to Jordan and conducted a stabbing assault with several injured in the tourist centre of Hurghada. Such attacks focus on the Egypt economy, as the tourism and the energy sector are crucial and suffered since political turmoil erupted during the Arab Spring and.

Consequently the Suez Canal as a major source of income for the Egyptian state is also a potential target for Islamists. The Egypt government is hoping that their recent investment in the logistical infrastructure can help make up for that economic loss after the turmoils of the arabic spring, therefore the maritime industry might be also affected by further acts of the insurgents.

Please click the links down below for further information on the issue.

Article in the Container Management

Article in The Daily Star