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Suez Canal Transit Guide

 
 

 Canal General Information

 
  • Overall length: 162 km.
  • From port said to Isamailia: 78 km.
  • From Isamailia to Suez (Port Tawfik): 84 km.
  • From the fairway buoy to port said light house: 22.5km.
  • Breadth at water level 300 m.
  • Width between buoys 180 m.
  • Maximum permissible draught of ships 53 ft.
  • Depth of the canal 19.5/20 m.
  • Cross-sectional area: 4000/4500 m2.
  • Pilotage is compulsory for all vessels over 300 tons.
  • Speed limits: 11km/h -16km/h depending on vessel type and tonnage.
  • Average transit time is 14 hours.
 

 General Information
 for Vessels to Transit the Suez Canal

  Documents required by the Suez canal authorities:
One copy of each of the following documents must normally be presented not later than 90 minutes after the registered arrival time and in any event the documents should not be presented later than one hour after the arrival time limits.

A. Documents

  1. Navigability Declaration.
    When a ship is to sail through the Suez Canal for the first time, all the above documents must be accompanied by the following:
    • Ship’s registry certificate.
    • Suez canal special tonnage certificate.
    • Ship’s general arrangement plan
    • Ship’s engine room plan.
    • Ship’s capacity plan.
  2. Declaration of contents of ship’s double bottom and other tanks.
  3. Crew list.
  4. Ballast declaration.
  5. Cargo manifest.
  6. Container form for vessels carrying containers.

Priority bookings are possible, provided the Canal Authority receives a five days' notice of the intended transit date and the vessel arrives within the convoy time-limit. Tugs can be arranged with four days notice of ETA.

B. Notification

The first ETA (to be sent 5 days prior to the vessel's arrival to the Suez / Port Said) must include the following:

  1. Suez canal gross and net registered tonnages.
  2. Date of the latest Suez canal tonnage certificate.
  3. International gross and net registered tonnages.
  4. Date of registry certificate.
  5. Nationality.
  6. Owners name.
  7. Type as described in the registry certificate.
  8. Previous name if any.
  9. Date of the last transit through the Suez canal and the name at that time.
  10. Information on any modifications since the last passage through the canal; if none, under "particulars" no change should be indicated.
  11. Cargo details (if necessary indicate class for dangerous cargo).

C. Arrival Limits
  1. Port Said (South Bond Convoys S/B)
    There are 2 S/B daily convoys as follows:
    • The 1st S/B convoy (N1) starts at midnight and time limit to join this convoy is 1900 HRS

    • The 2nd S/B Convoy (N2) starts at 0500 HRS and time limit to join this convoy is 0300 HRS.
  2. Suez Port (North Bound Convoy N/B)
    The only N/B convoy starts at 0600 HRS and time limit to join the convoy is 0300 HRS except for deep draft vessels is 0100 HRS

Notes:

  1. Vessels arriving later than time limits can also join the convoys by paying extra 3% 0r 5% from dues according to SCA regulations concerning this issue.
  2. LT for Suez Canal is +2 GMT except for summer is +3 GMT.
 

 Communication During Transit

  VHF – working frequency range of (156-174 MHz)
VHF channels: 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,15, 16, 71, 73, 74
 
Radio telex frequencies from open sea
to contact Suez canal authority: 20000
  • Transmits: 4250
  • Receives: 6310/4205
  • Mode: FIB
  • Watch hours: 24 hrs
Radio telex frequencies to contact
Suez Canal authority while transiting: 20001
  • Transmits: 1612
  • Receives: 2147
  • Mode: FIB
  • Watch hours: 24 hrs
 

 Signal Hoists

  On arrival Port Said or Suez, vessel is required to show the following flags:
  • Pilot signal:
    (Black ball over letter flag George by day)
    (Three white lights in vertical line all around by night)
  • Call letters.
  • Quarantine flag.
  • Immigration signal flags, or one red light above two white lights by night.
  • Dangerous goods signal.

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