Suez Canal Revenue Climbs 94% to $724 Million in October on 1,490 Transits
Suez Canal revenue rose 94% on the year to $724 million in October, with navigation at its highest monthly level since the Red Sea crisis began, the canal’s authority said.
For Egypt, the canal’s dollar earnings are recovering faster than its traffic. Transits rose 32% on the year while revenue rose 94%, and in The Edge’s reading that gap marks the return of larger vessels rather than simply more ships.
October traffic beats last year on every measure
The authority said 1,490 ships crossed the canal in October, carrying 88 million net tons. In October 2025, 1,128 ships carried 47 million net tons. They paid $373 million.
It put the rise in the number of ships at 32% and the rise in net tonnage at 86%.
In absolute terms, October brought 362 more transits than a year earlier. It also brought $351 million more in revenue.
Traffic averaged 48.1 ships a day across the month. A year earlier the daily average was 36.4.
October navigation, 2026 against 2025
| Measure | Oct 2025 | Oct 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transits (ships) | 1,128 | 1,490 | 32% |
| Net tons (million) | 47 | 88 | 86% |
| Revenue ($ million) | 373 | 724 | 94% |
Changes as printed by the authority. Net tonnage is published to the nearest million tons, so the rounded levels give a slightly different tonnage change.
Bigger ships lift revenue per transit
Each transit paid an average of $485,900 in October. That is 46.9% more than the $330,700 of October 2025.
Larger average loads account for most of the gain. On the published totals, the average transit carried 59,000 net tons in October, against 42,000 a year earlier.
Revenue per net ton changed far less, at $8.2 against $7.9. Most of the revenue gain therefore came from the tonnage passing through, not from what each ton paid.
October also improved on August, whose figures the authority gave on 20 September, as set out on our site on 21 September. In August, 1,358 ships carried 68.3 million net tons. They paid $567.1 million.
Transits were 9.7% higher in October than in August. Revenue was 27.7% higher. The canal took in $23.4 million a day, against $18.3 million in August.
The gains on a year earlier also widened between the two months. In August, ship numbers were up 27% and net tonnage 51.1%, as printed.
October’s rises of 32% and 86% were larger on both counts. Revenue per transit climbed from $417,600 in August to $485,900.
Averages per transit and per day
| Measure | Oct 2025 | Aug 2026 | Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue per transit ($ thousand) | 330.7 | 417.6 | 485.9 |
| Net tons per transit (thousand) | 42 | 50 | 59 |
| Revenue per net ton ($) | 7.9 | 8.3 | 8.2 |
| Transits per day | 36.4 | 43.8 | 48.1 |
| Revenue per day ($ million) | 12.0 | 18.3 | 23.4 |
Calculated from the authority’s monthly totals for October 2025, August 2026 and October 2026. Net tonnage is published to the nearest million tons for October and to the nearest 100,000 tons for August, so tonnage averages are shown to the nearest thousand tons and revenue per ton to one decimal place.
Container lines come back to the waterway
Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, told a panel organised by the Egyptian Businessmen’s Association that he expects the positive rates to continue as most global shipping lines return. He said the canal’s performance is improving markedly despite the geopolitical challenges in the region.
Container ships were already returning earlier in the year. Their net tonnage for January to August reached an estimated 72.1 million tons, the authority said in September, against 46.7 million a year earlier.
That was a rise of 54.2%, set out on our site on 16 September together with COSCO’s first southbound transit since the Red Sea tensions.
The authority also counted 276 Maersk transits in the first nine months of 2026, against 146 a year earlier, as set out on our site on 20 October. Maersk’s chief operating officer told the authority the group hopes to have all its services back by March 2027.
Hapag-Lloyd gave its own update on 30 October. Its chief operating officer, Anders Boenaes, said three of its liner services had resumed canal transits and further Far East services were expected to follow.
Its chief executive, Rolf Habben Jansen, welcomed the resumption but was more guarded on timing. He said the canal would remain the attractive route whenever circumstances permit, and voiced the hope that favourable conditions would continue.
The chief executive of the canal’s container terminal company told the same panel that the return of container services was the result of the canal’s outreach to shipping lines since the crisis began. He said it was showing clearly in handling rates at the terminal.
The authority widens its income beyond transit dues
Rabiee also described the authority’s push to diversify its income, saying it has entered new lines of business and opened up to local and international partnerships.
It has moved into building marine units for export under a “Made in Egypt” label, through a partnership with a national private-sector shipyard company. Its new services include ship waste collection run with a Greek partner; it also offers ship maintenance and repair, salvage, marine ambulance and pollution control.
The head of the association’s transport committee asked the authority to study direct strategic partnerships with the private sector. He also proposed an international transport and logistics conference every two years, wider electronic services and closer contact with shipping companies.
What to watch:
Maersk’s stated aim, given to the authority on 20 October, of returning all its services to the canal by March 2027.
Figures are from the Suez Canal Authority’s news releases of 5 November 2026 (October navigation), 20 September 2026 (August navigation), 16 September 2026 (container ships), 20 October 2026 (Maersk) and 30 October 2026 (Hapag-Lloyd); percentages, averages and differences not attributed to the authority are The Edge’s calculations from the figures as published.
Sources: Suez Canal Authority, The Edge.
