by Lloyd's List

3 December 2024 (Lloyd's List) - TRAFFIC through the Suez Canal hit a new low in November with 840 vessels using the chokepoint that connects the Mediterranean and Red Sea, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel-tracking data.

The November figures are down 4% month on month from the 877 recorded in October and are the lowest number of transits since the start of the Red Sea crisis.

From September to November, 2,585 cargo-carrying vessels, equating to 196.3m dwt, transited the Suez Canal.

This compares to 2,738 and 209.7m dwt over the June to August period.

It is useful to group the data across several months when assessing broader trends to eliminate monthly variances.

The Bab el Mandeb saw a negligible change in monthly figures, with 945 transits* in November compared to 949 in October. Traffic as measured by dwt capacity increased from 62.7m dwt to 64m dwt.

Most vessel segments reported falls in both transits and capacity through the beleaguered shipping lane in November, however, positive swings in crude tanker and containership traffic helped offset this drop.

Containership passings through the Bab el Mandeb reached 220 in November, the highest number recorded since the mass exodus of carrier lines from the Red Sea in mid-December 2023.

Crude tanker traffic recorded a slight rebound in November after a relative lull in transits in September and October.

Transits were up 17% from 172 in October to 202 in November, with a similar increase seen in terms of capacity.

From September to November 2,770 merchant ships sailed through the Bab el Mandeb, equating to 187.6m dwt.

Over the June to August period these figures were 2,830 and 207.4 dwt respectively.

*The Bab el Mandeb traffic figures are preliminary numbers. The data may be revised slightly upwards as more data becomes available on dark transits.