Suez Canal Impact on Global Trade Routes — Global LOCODE Hub

Published: 2026-07-15 · Global LOCODE Hub Research

The Suez Canal: 12% of World Trade at Stake

The Suez Canal handles approximately 12% of global trade by volume and 30% of global container traffic. When the Ever Given blocked the canal for 6 days in March 2021, it exposed the fragility of this critical chokepoint. In 2024-2025, Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping forced major carriers to divert around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 10-14 days and $1M+ per voyage in additional fuel costs.

Ports Most Affected

• Port Said (EG PSD) — the Mediterranean entrance. Transshipment volumes dropped 40% during Red Sea disruptions as carriers bypassed Suez entirely.
• Salalah (OM SLL) — benefited from diversions as an Indian Ocean transshipment alternative to Jebel Ali for re-routed vessels.
• Cape Town (ZA CPT) — saw increased bunker demand as Cape of Good Hope diversions surged.
• Rotterdam (NL RTM) — absorbed schedule disruptions as Asia-Europe services arrived 10-14 days late.
• Jeddah (SA JED) — Red Sea gateway for pilgrim and cargo traffic, heavily impacted by route diversions.

Long-Term Implications

Carriers are permanently reassessing route resilience. The lesson of 2024-2025 is that single-point-of-failure routes need contingency planning. Ports that invested in alternative corridors — like the Sohar Port outside the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal Economic Zone — are better positioned for future disruptions.

Data sourced from UNECE UN/LOCODE Directory and port authority publications. For reference only.