Suez Canal Authority suspends container ship rebate
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) will suspend its 15% transit fee rebate for container ships from 7 April 2026.
IMAGE: Container ship entering the Suez Canal in Port Said, Egypt. Getty Images
However, the port authority has provided no explanation for the move.
The rebate was initially introduced as a 90-day measure starting 15 May 2025 and applied to both laden and ballast container vessels of 130,000 gross tonnage or above. Laden ships carry cargo, while ballast vessels sail with little or no cargo for stability. The rebate covered transits in both directions and was granted automatically, without any application process.
The discount was later extended to 31 December 2025, and then again to 30 June 2026, before being withdrawn ahead of schedule.
The measure had been part of the authority’s broader effort to draw shipping traffic back to the canal amid geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global trade routes.
Last month, SCA Chairman Ossama Rabiee said that navigation through the canal continues normally in both directions. He also noted that decisions by some major shipping lines to avoid the canal remain temporary and are linked to the evolving security situation in the region.
By Tuhin Roy
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