Rabie: Suez Canal has been implementing an ambitious strategy
Platten:The return of major shipping lines to transit through the Suez Canal is inevitable once stability returns to the region
Ismailia: Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA ) and Mr. Guy Platten, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping “ICS”, discussed mechanisms to enhance joint cooperation in light of the developments in the current situation in the Red Sea region and their negative repercussions on the sustainability of global supply chains, at the Guidance Building in Ismailia Governorate.
Attendees at the meeting
The meeting was attended by Mr. John Stobert, Senior Director of Environmental and Trade Affairs at the International Chamber of Shipping, and Ms. Mimi Lamloum, Policy Officer and Secretary of the Canals Subcommittee In the Chamber, Mr. Keiji Tsashiya, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Canals of the International Chamber of Shipping and the Japan Shipowners Association, Mr. Fujimoto from the Japan Shipowners Association, and Eng. Sherine El-Naggar, Chairman of El-Naggar Group for Maritime Transport.
Suez Canal continues to provide its navigational
At the beginning of the meeting,Admiral Osama Rabie confirmed that the Suez Canal continues to provide its navigational and logistical services and achieve effective and continuous communication with all international maritime organizations and institutions for continuous consultation and coordination to ensure the sustainability of global supply chains.
Lack of maritime services on alternative routes
The Chairman of SCA explained that navigation rates in the Suez Canal have been severely affected due to security concerns among many shipping companies and shipowners and their adoption of alternative routes that lack the navigational safety factor, with which the operational cost and risk cost of maritime shipping increase in light of the long journey, poor sailing conditions, and the lack of maritime services on alternative routes.
Implementing an ambitious strategy
Rabie pointed out that the Suez Canal has been implementing an ambitious strategy to provide integrated logistical and maritime services by adding a package of services that were not previously provided to meet the requirements of ships transiting in normal and emergency conditions as part of the efforts made to transform the Suez Canal into a regional center for providing various maritime and logistical services.
Continue cooperation with SCA
For his part, Mr. Guy Platten, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) expressed his aspiration to continue cooperation with the Suez Canal Authority and to provide visions and consultations on working mechanisms to address the current challenges in the Red Sea region, stressing that the return of major shipping lines to transit through the Suez Canal is inevitable once stability returns to the region, hoping that the beginning of next year will witness a major breakthrough on all levels and stability in the security and political situation in the region.
Efforts regularity of navigation
Platten praised the efforts made by the Suez Canal Authority to ensure the regularity of navigation in the Canal under the current circumstances, appreciating the flexible handling of the crisis and the ambitious future outlook carried by the serious steps taken by the Authority for green transformation and support for infrastructure projects through the continuation of the Canal’s navigational channel development projects and the development of the package of navigation services provided to passing ships.
The future holds more promising opportunities
The Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping stressed that the future holds more promising opportunities to increase the movement of trade crossing the Suez Canal during the coming year once the situation in the region stabilizes in light of what the Canal achieves in reducing the level of harmful carbon emissions and saving fuel consumption in line with the future trends of the maritime transport industry and the initiatives of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce the level of harmful emissions and increase reliance on green fuel.
Signing ceremonyof MoU
On the sidelines of the meeting,Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman of SCA witnessed the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding to continue joint cooperation between the Suez Canal Authority and the International Chamber of Shipping, which is the culmination of fruitful cooperation over the past years and a renewal of work on previous memoranda of understanding.
