An American investigation in “suffocating” the Suez Canal and global navigational corridors

The Federal Marine Shipping Committee in the United States has announced the opening of an investigation into the global maritime selection points, including the Egyptian Suez Canal and other navigation passages, to evaluate whether any country, a marine shipping company or another marine operator creates unfavorable conditions for American shipping and foreign trade.

A notice published by the committee in the federal registry, on Friday, according to the American Bloomberg Agency: “The recent events indicated that the restrictions imposed on crossing in several decisive sites in the global marine supply chain have led to conditions that call for an investigation by the committee.” The committee stated that these restrictions affected the transit operations across the Sea of ​​the Mansh (English Channel), the Strait of Malaga, the Northern Maritime Corridor, the Singapore Strait, the Panama Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Suez Canal.

The Suez Canal is a major artery for global trade, but it suffers, according to the Bloomberg report, frequent delays due to the narrowing of its waterways and its unilateral direction in some areas, especially during the bad weather conditions. In accidents such as the delinquency of the ship “Ever Given” in 2021, and the recent attacks on commercial ships by the Houthis in Yemen on the ships passing through the Red Sea, caused the disruption of global supply chains.

The Federal Committee announced that it is asking for comments in the next 60 days about the reasons for restrictions in the aforementioned maritime parties, and the extent of the responsibility of foreign governments or owners and ship operators for these problems. This move comes at a time when the administration of President Donald Trump is seeking to control international navigation corridors, including the Panama channel, seize mineral wealth in Ukraine and the Denmark Island, and control the ship industry to confront China’s influence in this field.

Lauren Begin, a former lawyer for the Federal Marine Shipping Committee, said these authorities give the Federal Committee the ability to take what she described as “corrective measures” if there are unfavorable conditions in the shipping sector. She added to the Bloomberg Agency that these measures may include imposing fees of up to one million dollars per trip, or restricting companies’ participation in the agreements deposited with the committee such as marine alliances, or preventing ships that raise foreign flags from entering the American ports.

She pointed out that this investigation may affect a large part of the global commercial shipping fleet, explaining: “This authority can be considered among the most powerful authorities owned by the Federal Committee, and it seems that they are preparing to use it in this investigation, which was just announced.”

The American investigation of the congestion of traffic in the Suez Canal, according to the FBI claimed, at a time when Trump supports the new India Road (India – America), a road that greatly threatens the Suez Canal. The main countries are on the road (India – Israel – Italy – the United States), and the first stations after India come in the ports of the Emirates, then Saudi Arabia, then Jordan, then Haifa Ports in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Trump’s support for this navigational corridor is a continuation of what former US President Joe Biden began, as the United States and Gulf and European countries, along with India, announced in September 2023, working together to create a corridor that connects India to the Middle East, and then Europe, with the aim of facilitating trade.

Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority, had said in comments last month, that Trump’s statements about the plan to control the Gaza Strip, and the displacement of its residents caused a state of uncertainty, as it affected navigation in the Red Sea; This prompted many ships to avoid the canal, and the behavior of the righteous head road. Rabie said, during a phone call to the “Last Word” program on the Egyptian channel on the then that Trump’s statements came at a time when expectations indicated a significant improvement in navigation, especially with the Houthis’ announcement to stop their offensive operations after the Gaza Agreement on January 19, 2025.

The Houthis declared their resumption of a ban on the crossing of Israeli ships, after the end of the deadline that the group granted to the Israeli occupation authorities to enter aid to the Gaza Strip. This came in a video statement, on Tuesday evening, to the military spokesman for the group, Yahya Sari.

In addition to the Suez Canal, the American investigation includes the Sea of ​​Mansh, the Mustaq Malaga and the Strait of Gibraltar, and other maritime suffocation points under investigation, which are, the Northern Maritime Corridor, which provides a brief road between Europe and Asia, and can reshape global trade with increased periods of its waters in the ice. According to the notice, “this raised competition for sovereignty, as Russia seeks to impose its control on the shortest sea road between Europe and Asia and impose traffic fees, while other countries are pushing towards providing international arrival.”

It also includes the Panama channel, which was recently affected by the drought, causing long waiting periods and costly disturbances for shipping companies. The committee pointed out that “the procedures for addressing the unfavorable conditions for shipping in US foreign trade may include the refusal to enter the ships registered in the countries responsible for these conditions to the American ports.”

The investigation also includes the Singapore Strait, where large ships face the threat of delinquency in shallow waters, while unexpected weather conditions increase the challenges of maritime navigation. The committee stated that “despite the decrease in the piracy rate, there are still security threats, including kidnappings and theft in remote areas, in addition to the dangers of turmoil from regional political tensions.”