ISMAILIYA, Egypt: Peering over the embankment, a large shipping vessel is easily discernable in the distance. The large American flag positioned on the grayish steel of hull make it apparent who owns this boat. It literally tugs along, slowly making its way through the locks that comprise Egypt's Suez Canal, arguably the world's most important shipping corridor. Today, the canal is in shambles as worries abound over whether it will return to its pre-economic crisis levels and bring Cairo the foreign currency it so desires. Shipping companies are looking elsewhere, as the costs of Somali piracy have pushed them away from the canal. The pocketbook is being hit hard and many companies simply cannot afford to risk the journey. “We need better security and a way through the canal into the Gulf of Aden,” said one industry expert who routinely pushes ships through the canal. He said that the canal's current state of wear and tear have left many worried that it will become increasingly difficult to use the passage. “They have started with a map that was done with the Americans and this is a good start because the Red Sea is littered with obstacles and having to deal with them and then get pirates after is always difficult,” he added. Maybe unknowing, the corporate big wig hit the reality of the Suez Canal spot on. Although the Suez Canal Authority claims full control of the zone from Port Said through Ismailiya and into the Red Sea, the facts on the ground point to an odd reality of who really controls the passing of ships through the canal and into the Gulf of Aden. Ahmed Hassanein, the SCA spokesperson, told Bikya Masr earlier this month that the canal authority is responsible for overseeing all vessels that go through the canal. “We do it all, from approval to careful watching of what is going on,” he said. He did, however, admit that the main role of the authority is to approve or bar ships from passing through the canal, maintaining administrative processes and upkeep of the canal's maintenance. “It is our responsibility to ensure the safety of all vessels,” Hassanein began, “we supply small ships to patrol the area around the canal to make certain there are not any unneeded obstacles to traverse.” So who really runs the canal? According to an American military official who recently spoke to Bikya Masr on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, the American Navy is responsible for the safe passage of ships through the canal, into the Red Sea and across the Gulf of Aden. What he said occurs is very simple. When a ship enters the Suez Canal Zone, either north in the Mediterranean Sea or south via the Gulf of Aden, the captain must radio the Egyptian authorities in order to ask for permission to cross the waterway. Then, it gets a bit tricky and the American officer said at this point, upon approval to enter the canal, the Americans take over. “Most ships will be waiting some distance away from the entrance of the canal and will need to be guided into the canal and through the passage without hitting rocks or other barriers in the water,” he began, “so we, the American military is responsible for this caretaking mission.” But, what happened to the Egyptian side? He said that the Egyptians do not have the technology needed to guide and direct larger vessels from the waters off the canal and throughout the waterway. “It is expensive technology that we haven't given them because they don't have the manpower to take control of it.” With piracy growing, the Americans have established submarines in the Red Sea that are on 24 hour watch, helping and assisting ships in need of direction. According to one ship captain, Czech Jan Havel, who has been using the canal for over two decades, “the American assistance has been widely known for a long time because they are able to ensure our safe passage.” He said that a few years back, when his ship had been heading directly toward a “hot spot” in the water, his intercom rang out and it was an American military officer. According to Havel, the American directed the ship away from the stretch of water that would have caused damage to the vessel and toward the canal. “I was grateful for their help because if not, we would have lost millions of dollars and there would have been an oil spill,” he said. The American Navy officer said that while the US takes direct control when needed, the canal is still “run by the Egyptians. Don't get us wrong, we play an important role in assisting the Authority in Ismailiya, but what we do is simply ensure the safe crossing of vessels from point A to point B. They make the decisions.” But why doesn't the American military give the Egyptians the ability to do this sort of “safe-keeping” on their own. According to the officer, this is politics. “Why would we give a nation the ability to do something that we can do all the better. Plus, we don't want them to have the technology at this point, because it can be used for other means.” The Israelis are also adamant that the US maintain its role in the canal. Their foreign ministry told Bikya Masr that if the Egyptians were to have the technology this would mean Egyptian military submarines and warships could be put in the Gulf of Aqaba, “and we simply cannot have that. It would threaten our national security.” In essence, the Egyptians run the canal with the help and major assistance from the Americans. It's all politics and Cairo couldn't be happier, Hassanein said. “We enjoy this kind of situation. It makes everyone happy and in the end it is the Egyptian state that garners much of the income that comes from passing ships.” BM
