Suez Canal shut down – heavy blow for the shipping industry

A potential Suez Canal shut down, caused by the civil unrest in Egypt, would have a severe impact for the container shipping industry, according to the shipping analyst company Alphaliner. A closure is highly unlikely as the traffic through Suez generates badly needed money for the Egypt public treasury. But what if a shut down becomes a reality? How much would it cost the shipping industry, and the container shipping industry in particular? The quick answer is a considerable amount of money.