There was a certain level of excitement on the ship today as over the coming hours we would make our way through one of the most important shipping corridors in the world – the Suez Canal.

The canal was formally opened in November 1869, with the first ship to pass through being the Aigle (followed by a long procession of other ships) . It became a commercial success and earned the company that built it (the Canal Company) a lot of money.

Due to its importance, the canal was defended through both World Wars, however due to feuding over the Canal Company, Britain, France and Israel attacked Egypt which led to the Suez crisis in 1956. The crisis was fixed when the USA negotiated, with the help of the UN, the withdrawal of the various countries.

The Canal was also closed during the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973. The channel was blocked by mines, trapped ships and artillery fire. Once again the USA came to the rescue and helped to get a truce and clear the mines. This led to the canal being reopened and the resumption of trade.

Ship traffic through the canal transits in convoys (we were ship number two, with 29 in our convoy). Each day there is one northbound convoy and two southbound convoys. There are two areas where the north and southbound convoys meet – the Great Bitter Lake and Lake Timsah . Around 17,225 vessels transit the canal each year, with each paying around $250,000 for the privilege.

When we got to Great Bitter Lake, the first Southbound convoy had already arrived and were anchored waiting for us to pass, while the second southbound convoy waits further north in the canal at Lake Timsah. We passed both convoys without incident and continued our way north. On a side note there was a small fishing vessel that decided to try its luck in the middle the canal, needless to say it got a taste of our ships horn and decided it needed to move out of the way.

Around Lake Timsah and the city of Ismailia, we sailed past the Jabal Mary Am War Memorial. The memorial is for people who died defending the canal in World War 1. Just outside the city there is a war grave site that is maintained by the various countries represented (Australia, New Zealand, Britain). The memorial is deceptive as from one angle it looks to be a single obelisk, however as you go past it becomes two obelisks with a statue .

Slightly further along the canal there is another memorial. The Suez War Memorial remembers lives lost during the Suez War and is shaped like a bayonet.

Other than waving at the various military personnel that line the eastern banks of the canal, there were two more highlights – this time in bridge form.

The El Ferdan Railway Bridge is the longest swing span bridge in the world. Sometimes there is a train waiting to use the bridge, which when ships are transiting is parked over the bank instead of over the canal. This time there was no train waiting.

Our last bridge was the Suez Bridge. It is a long suspension bridge that joints to parts of Egypt together. Unlike some Sydney Harbour Bridge where the ship had only a couple meters of clearance, with the Suez Bridge we had a good 20 meters.

Towards the end of the transit we passed several canals that ran straight to the Nile. These canals keep the surrounding areas agriculturally viable.

At around 3pm and with the rest of the convoy following, we cleared the canal and entered the waters of the Mediterranean.

It had been a fun filled day that included ships, fishing vessels, bridges, military personnel, military installations, desert and cities.

Fun fact:
The image of Nike (the god not the sporting apparel brand) appears on Olympic medals. His image represents victory.