Suez Canal Authority: COSCO Resumes Southbound Suez Transits as Container-ship Tonnage Rises 54.2%
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced that COSCO SHIPPING Lines' container ship OOCL PORTUGAL has resumed southbound transit through the canal for the first time since tensions in the Red Sea and Bab El-Mandeb disrupted the route.
SCA Chairman Osama Rabie noted that this voyage marks a significant step, as it demonstrates the return of COSCO's ships to the southern route. The vessel joined the northern convoy on Wednesday.
According to Rabie, the combined net tonnage of container ships transiting the canal from January to August reached an impressive 72.1 million tonnes, a 54.2% increase from the same period in 2025 (46.7 million tonnes). This figure represents vessel tonnage, not the number of containers carried.
OOCL PORTUGAL, measuring 400 meters long and 61.3 meters wide, boasts a gross tonnage of 247,000 tonnes and has a capacity to carry up to 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.*
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