Suez Canal Authority
Encyclopedia
Suez Canal Authority is a state owned authority which owns, operates and maintains the Suez Canal
. It was set up by Egypt
to replace the Suez Canal Company
in the 1950s which resulted in the Suez Crisis
. After the UN
intervened, Egypt agreed to pay millions of dollars to shareholders of the nationalized Suez Canal Company.
. The act at the same time nationalized the Suez Canal Company and transferred all its assets and employees to the SCA established by this act.
SCA is an independent authority having legal personality.
Its head office is in Ismailia
.
Its Board of Directors comprises 14 persons, including the Chairman & Managing Director.
SCA issues the Rules of Navigation, fixes the tolls for the use of the canal and collects them. The tolls are expressed in XDR
and collected in USD, GBP, EUR and other currencies. In 2008, the total revenue in tolls was 5,381 mio USD for the passage of a total of 21,415 vessels.
SCA is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Suez Canal, for the safety of the traffic and for all other matters relating thereto.
According to the nationalisation act, SCA is bound by the Constantinople Convention of 29 October 1888 which grants the right of free access and use of the canal at equal conditions to all ships, commercial ships and ships of war, in times of peace or of war, even to ships of belligerent parties.
SCA is responsible for the computerized traffic management supported by radar, for the 14 pilot stations and their pilots. Since 1996, SCA operates the Maritime Training and Simulation Center for its pilots.
SCA operates some 60 ships and boats, such as tugs
, dredgers, crane
s, and smaller boats.
According to SCA's web site, its activities also comprise:
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
. It was set up by Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to replace the Suez Canal Company
Suez Canal Company
The Universal Suez Ship Canal Company was the Egyptian corporation which was formed by Ferdinand de Lesseps during 1858, constructed the Suez Canal between 1859 and 1869, and owned and operated it for many years thereafter...
in the 1950s which resulted in the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
. After the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
intervened, Egypt agreed to pay millions of dollars to shareholders of the nationalized Suez Canal Company.
Establishment and Organisation
SCA was established by the nationalization act signed on 26 July 1956 by the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel NasserGamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
. The act at the same time nationalized the Suez Canal Company and transferred all its assets and employees to the SCA established by this act.
SCA is an independent authority having legal personality.
Its head office is in Ismailia
Ismaïlia
-Notable natives:*Osman Ahmed Osman, a famous and influential Egyptian engineer, contractor, entrepreneur, and politician, was born in this town on 6 April 1917....
.
Its Board of Directors comprises 14 persons, including the Chairman & Managing Director.
Chairmen of the Suez Canal Authority
Since nationalisation (1956-Present):- DoctorDoctor (title)Doctor, as a title, originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb docēre . It has been used as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread...
Mohamed Helmy Bahgat Badawy (26 July 1956 – 9 July 1957) - EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Mahmoud Younis (10 July 1957 – 10 October 1965) - EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Mashhour Ahmed MashhourMashhour Ahmed MashhourEngineer Mashhour Ahmed Mashhour was the Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority - Birth :...
(14 October 1965 – 31 December 1983) - EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Mohamed Ezzat Adel (1 January 1984 – December 1995) - AdmiralAdmiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Ahmed Ali Fadel (22 January 1996 – Present)
Presidents of the Suez Canal Company Pre-Nationalisation
Before nationalisation (1858-1956):- Ferdinand de LessepsFerdinand de LessepsFerdinand Marie, Vicomte de Lesseps, GCSI was the French developer of the Suez Canal, which joined the Mediterranean and Red Seas in 1869, and substantially reduced sailing distances and times between the West and the East.He attempted to repeat this success with an effort to build a sea-level...
(15 December 1858 – 7 December 1894) - Jules Guichard (17 December 1892 – 17 July 1896) (acting for de Lesseps to 7 December 1894)
- Auguste-Louis-Albéric, prince d'ArenbergAuguste-Louis-Albéric, prince d'ArenbergAuguste-Louis-Albéric, prince d'Arenberg was a French noble and monarchist politician, born in Paris. Third son of Pierre d'Alcantara Charles Marie, duc d'Arenberg and Alix de Talleyrand-Périgord, he inherited his father's title because of his older brothers' premature deaths.He was noted for his...
(3 August 1896 – 1913) - Charles JonnartCharles JonnartCharles Célestin Auguste Jonnart was a French politician.Born into a bourgeois family in Fléchin, Pas-de-Calais, Charles Jonnart was educated at Saint-Omer, then in Paris. Interested in the Algeria that he had visited as a young man, he was appointed in 1881 by Léon Gambetta to the office of...
(19 May 1913 – 1927) - Louis de Vogüé (4 April 1927 – 1 March 1948)
- François Charles-Roux (4 April 1948 – 26 July 1956)
Assets, Duties and Responsibilities
SCA owns the Suez Canal and all areas, buildings and equipment pertaining thereto.SCA issues the Rules of Navigation, fixes the tolls for the use of the canal and collects them. The tolls are expressed in XDR
Special Drawing Rights
Special Drawing Rights are supplementary foreign exchange reserve assets defined and maintained by the International Monetary Fund . Not a currency, SDRs instead represent a claim to currency held by IMF member countries for which they may be exchanged...
and collected in USD, GBP, EUR and other currencies. In 2008, the total revenue in tolls was 5,381 mio USD for the passage of a total of 21,415 vessels.
SCA is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Suez Canal, for the safety of the traffic and for all other matters relating thereto.
According to the nationalisation act, SCA is bound by the Constantinople Convention of 29 October 1888 which grants the right of free access and use of the canal at equal conditions to all ships, commercial ships and ships of war, in times of peace or of war, even to ships of belligerent parties.
SCA is responsible for the computerized traffic management supported by radar, for the 14 pilot stations and their pilots. Since 1996, SCA operates the Maritime Training and Simulation Center for its pilots.
SCA operates some 60 ships and boats, such as tugs
TUGS
TUGS is a British children's television series, first broadcast in 1988. It was created by the producers of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, Robert D. Cardona and David Mitton. The series dealt with the adventures of two anthropomorphized tugboat fleets, the Star Fleet and the Z-Stacks, who...
, dredgers, crane
Crane vessel
A crane vessel, crane ship or floating crane is a ship with a crane specialized in lifting heavy loads. The largest crane vessels are used for offshore construction. Conventional monohulls are used, but the largest crane vessels are often catamaran or semi-submersible types as they have increased...
s, and smaller boats.
According to SCA's web site, its activities also comprise:
- 14 ferry connections with 36 ferry boats;
- the Ahmed Hamdi road tunnel;
- the Nile Shipyard;
- the roads alongside the canal;
- a silk production in a farm at Serabium using treated sanitary waste water for irrigation;
- water plants in the canal cities;
- 12,000 housing units;
- a hospital in Ismailia and emergency hospitals at both ends of the canal;
- 4 schools and
- various sports and recreational centers.