Ships passing through Suez Canal to pay fees electronically and in advance from country of origin

Ships passing through the Suez Canal will now have to pay their fees in advance, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) head Mohab Mamish said yesterday, Al Shorouk reports. Fees, which are collected in USD, will now have to be wired from a ship’s country of origin rather than transferred locally through the Central Bank of Egypt. Mamish said that this new digital payment system has been implemented at six other ports under the SCA’s domain — including Adabiya, Ain Sokhna, East Port Said, and Arish — and means to expedite the passage of ships through the canal and enhance transparency, he said.