Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, participated in the World Maritime Day 2026 celebration, which was organized by the Maritime Transport Sector of the Ministry of Transport under the slogan “From Policy to Implementation: Enhancing Maritime Excellence”, in Alexandria Governorate, in the presence of Lieutenant General Kamel El-Wazir, Minister of Transport, Engineer Ayman Attia, Governor of Alexandria, Major General Hussein El-Geziri, Head of the Maritime Transport and Logistics Sector, Mr. Mustafa Sheikhou, Chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Professor Dr. Ismail Abdel Ghaffar, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, and with the participation of a large number of officials of the maritime transport industry in the Arab world and the region.
During his speech, Lieutenant General Osama Rabie stressed the importance of bringing together stakeholders in the maritime transport and shipping community to exchange views on current developments and challenges in light of the profound geopolitical changes that have occurred on the international and regional scene in recent years, which have directly impacted trade and global supply chains, and whose repercussions have extended to navigation in the Suez Canal.
The head of the authority pointed out that dealing with these complex developments requires proposing and implementing unconventional solutions that contribute to enhancing the operational efficiency of maritime institutions and increasing their ability to face the unprecedented challenges witnessed by the maritime community.
Lieutenant General Osama Rabie explained that the Authority was keen to deal with the various challenges with a balanced approach based on implementing flexible policies and applying an ambitious strategy aimed at transforming into one of the most prominent giant economic entities in the maritime transport and services industry through localizing the maritime industry and expanding the maritime services system.
Lieutenant General Rabie stressed that the disturbances and changes that have occurred on the international scene in general, and in the trade community in particular, have demonstrated the importance of the Suez Canal in securing global supply chains and have consolidated its leading position globally. It has also proven beyond any doubt that there is no alternative and sustainable route to the Suez Canal, given the highest levels of maritime safety and security that the canal enjoys, in addition to the highly efficient supporting maritime services.
Lieutenant General Osama Rabie issued a message of reassurance, confirming that the canal is safe, navigation is regular, its services are operating efficiently, and its pilots are at the highest levels of performance and readiness.
The head of the authority pointed out that the navigation reports showed an improvement in the rates of navigation in the canal, as the navigation traffic in the canal during the past month of August witnessed the passage of 1,358 ships with a total net tonnage of 68.3 million tons, achieving revenues of $567.1 million, compared to the passage of 1,070 ships, with a total net tonnage of 45.2 million tons, with revenues of $326 million during the month of August of last year, with rates of increase of 27% in the number of ships, 51.1% in net tonnage, and 56.7% in revenues.
Lieutenant General Rabie stressed that the Suez Canal has succeeded in taking steady steps towards diversifying sources of income by working to localize the marine units industry through the development of shipyards and affiliated companies, as well as establishing partnerships with the private sector to achieve integration and openness to international markets to market its products of various marine units.
The head of the authority added that the Suez Canal has succeeded in creating a package of maritime services that would provide the requirements of the canal’s partners and customers from shipping lines during the passage of ships, most notably shipbuilding and repair services, ship refueling, marine ambulance services, maritime crew exchange, and other services.
The Chairman of the Authority also touched on the Authority’s efforts in developing a number of Arab and African ports, noting in this regard the participation in the development of the port of Sirte and its opening after 14 years of closure, in addition to the Maritime Training and Simulation Academy of the Authority modeling the port of Ras Al-Khair in Saudi Arabia, and negotiations are underway to model two ports in the country of Namibia and train batches of pilots and tugboat captains there at the Academy.
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