Gulfs are a part of a water physique, often seas or oceans, that reach into the landmass. They are shaped as a consequence of tectonic plate actions, which give them a singular form, dimension and depth, making each gulf geographically and topographically totally different. One such well-known gulf is the Gulf of Suez, an important maritime zone providing entry into the Suez Canal.
The Gulf of Suez lies on the northern finish of the Red Sea to the western facet of the Sinai Peninsula. The Gulf of Aqaba, a comparatively smaller formation, lies to the east of the Sinai Peninsula.
It can be referred to as the northwestern extension of the Red Sea, positioned between Africa and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Read alongside to find 10 fascinating details concerning the Gulf of Suez.
Table of Contents
1. Gulf of Suez connects with the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal in Egypt connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea.
The Gulf of Suez is enclosed by the southern entrance of the Suez Canal at its northern finish. Hence, the Suez Canal hyperlinks the Gulf of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea.
The Suez Canal begins on the Gulf’s northern finish, close to the Suez metropolis and stretches northward by way of the Isthmus of Suez, going all the best way to the Mediterranean Sea at Port Said.
The Gulf of Suez and the Suez Canal are geopolitically and economically necessary. The latter provides a direct transport route between Europe and Asia, lowering transportation prices and transit instances.
2. Provides entry into the Suez Canal, an important international maritime waterway
The Suez Canal has nice strategic significance because it shortens ship journeys. Earlier ships needed to undertake a protracted and harmful journey across the southern tip of Africa, additionally referred to as the Cape of Good Hope.
After the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, vessels travelling between Europe and Asia had a brief and direct route offered by this man-made engineering marvel with a size of 163 km, making it one of many longest canals.
Suez Canal’s width varies between 200-300 m, and its waters are 20 m deep. It is traversed by all varieties of ships, be it container carriers, oil tankers, bulkers, or different industrial or naval vessels.
Constructed through the nineteenth century, this canal was the brainchild of a French diplomat and engineer named Ferdinand de Lesseps. Its building began in 1859 and resulted in 1869, a milestone within the historical past of the worldwide maritime trade.
3. Formed 26 million years in the past inside the Gulf of Suez Rift Basin
The foremost geological course of that shaped the Gulf of Suez was plate tectonics. The area across the gulf was part of the African Plate.
Near the African Plates had been the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Millions of years in the past, the African Plate and the Arabian Plate started to tug aside, a course of referred to as rifting.
As the rift widened with time, it led to the growth or the spreading of the ocean flooring. Magma welled up alongside this rift and shaped a brand new oceanic crust, in the end forming the Red Sea.
The Gulf of Suez is an extension of the Red Sea and regularly took form as a consequence of rifting and seafloor spreading. The land on each side of the gulf slowly moved away from one another, shaping the gulf.
With time, sediments from land and water collected within the Gulf of Suez, defining its topography and creating situations for the sustenance of aquatic life.
4. The Gulf of Suez is 314 km lengthy and 32 km extensive
The Gulf of Suez is 314 km lengthy measured from its mouth on the Strait of Jubal to its head at Suez metropolis. It has a various width, someplace between 19 to 32 km.
The Gulf of Suez has a central deep basin with a shallow sill near its northern entrance. This sill is a pure barrier between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. On the Gulf of Suez’s western half lies a continental shelf. The Gulf additionally has a number of underwater channels, deep canyons and reefs.
5. Home to gorgeous coral reef formations
Although the Gulf of Suez shouldn’t be recognized for having intensive coral reefs, as different areas of the Red Sea, it isn’t devoid of coral reefs both.
Around 335 coral species dwell within the Red Sea, whereas solely 35 of them are discovered within the Gulf of Suez.
The Gulf Of Suez has discontinuous fringing reefs on the western facet, whereas small broken-up fringing reefs and patch reefs could be discovered on the jap facet.
The Zaki Reef is a shallow fringing Reef within the Gulf of Suez, 55 km south of the Suez Canal off Egypt’s coast. Located close to a desert with one of many highest evaporation charges, accompanied by minimal rainfall, excessive temperature and no freshwater enter, it withstands all these stress components and continues to exist.
Apart from pure components, the reef faces pressures as a consequence of air pollution ensuing from coastal improvement, fishing and transport.
Fishermen cross the reef recurrently to anchor on the seaside behind it, which has brought on appreciable injury to the corals. Additionally, a transport port is situated 5 km to the north, and tankers undertake unloading operations simply 2 km from the reef, growing the danger of oil spills.
A freeway runs parallel to the Zaki reef, and sewage runoff threatens this reef system. Zaki Reef was as soon as wholesome. However, an oil spill and a bleaching incident in 2005, together with coral illness, led to a decline within the reef’s well being, and nearly 50% of corals died, and so did fish depending on the reef.
6. The Gulf of Suez has many ports and harbours
Ain Sokhna or Ain Sukhna lies on the western shores of the Gulf of Suez, round 50 km South of Suez. It is a quickly rising port metropolis and one of many main industrial ports of Egypt.
The port primarily handles crude oil on its 4 SBMs. About 350 ships and 80,000,000 tonnes of crude oil are dealt with on the port yearly.
Another port is Suez, on the southern a part of the Suez Canal. It has a sheltered anchorage space and consists of Port Ibrahim, having berths for basic cargo and passenger ships.
The New Harbour has amenities to accommodate tankers and livestock carriers, whereas Port Tewfik offers with passenger vessels in transit.
Adabiya port city, located on the western shore of the Gulf of Suez, handles bulk items, together with grain, foodstuff, urea, rice, cement, sugar, wheat, palm oil, cattle and scrap. Around 10 million tonnes of cargo and 754 ships are dealt with right here yearly on the port’s 10 berths.
Ras Gharib is a medium-sized port on the western a part of the Gulf of Suez, recognized for oil and pure fuel actions.
7. Gemsa Oil and Gas Field was the primary oil area discovered within the Gulf of Suez
The Gulf of Suez area is wealthy in oil and fuel reserves. After discovering the primary oil and fuel area named Gemsa in 1869, many others had been recognized at a number of places within the Gulf.
These embrace the Hurghada Oil area, the Belayim oil area, the El Morgan oil area, and the October area. Hence, the Gulf of Suez is a vital waterway for the transportation of petroleum oil and different merchandise originating from these oil fields.
The Hurghada Oil area produced oil in 1913, and by 1998, greater than 1900 wells had been drilled, and 120 extra fields had been discovered within the Gulf of Suez and its close by area.
8. Has stunning coastal areas, seaside resorts and heritage websites
Tourism within the Gulf of Suez is rising steadily, though the place shouldn’t be as well-known as Cairo, Luxor or different distinguished vacationer cities within the area.
Still, there are a lot of issues to do right here.
The Gulf of Suez has many seashores and resorts alongside its crystal-clear waters, significantly in locations like Ain Sokha, permitting guests to chill out, rejuvenate and sunbathe within the serene environment.
The adventurous lot can by no means miss diving and snorkelling right here, because the underwater world right here is brimming with corals and vibrant creatures.
The area has a wealthy and complicated historical past value exploring. Ain Sokhna archaeological web site and the Suez Canal Museum are fairly well-known. There are many pilgrimage and non secular websites, like monasteries and church buildings.
One also can embark on thrilling desert safaris and dune bashing and expertise how life is in a desert. Some cruises additionally cease within the Gulf of Suez, permitting guests to discover the coastal areas.
9. The Gulf of Suez has a number of shipwreck websites
The Gulf of Suez has all the time been a busy transport route, which is why it’s dwelling to a number of shipwrecks.
SS Carnatic was a British steamship that ran aground on Sha`b Abu Nuhas coral reef on the mouth of the Gulf of Suez on September 12, 1869. Ultimately, the ship broke aside and sank, taking 31 folks with it.
Only a couple of passengers and crew survived whereas the ship’s cargo, containing many valuables, turned the topic of a number of salvage operations.
British Cargo Steamship SS Thistlegorm sank within the Red Sea throughout World War II. It occurred in 1941 when the ship was carrying cargo comprising army provides, like armoured autos, ammunition, and plane components, when it was sunk by a German bomber Aircraft.
In the Nineteen Fifties, Jacques Cousteau, a French naval officer, filmmaker, oceanographer and creator, found her with the assistance of native fishermen. Today, the wreck of this ship lies close to Ras Muhammad and has turn out to be a well-known diving spot within the space.
10. Important fishing space with a various marine surroundings
Four fishing areas lie alongside the Gulf of Suez, six alongside the coast of the Red Sea and three alongside the Gulf of Aqaba. The area additionally has fishing ports.
In 2001, the fishing fleet comprised 78 trawlers and 83 purse seiners within the Suez Gulf. Approximately 711 boats used longlines and hooks alongside the fishing grounds, whereas 128 trawlers labored outdoors the Egyptian territorial water.
Per studies, the Gulf of Suez catch is 44% of the entire touchdown of Egypt’s Red Sea fisheries, whereas the contribution of the Red Sea correct is 34% and 21% from outdoors the territorial waters of Egypt.
Pelagic inventory consists of spherical herring, Indian and horse mackerel and sardines. Shrimp, golden and striped snapper, and pink mullet are additionally discovered.
You may also wish to read-
- 10 Major Straits Of Asia
- 10 Best Great Lakes Ship Tracker Tools
- 10 Gulf of Martaban Facts You Might Not Know
- 12 Gulf Of Mannar Facts You Might Not Know
- 10 Celtic Sea Facts You Should Know
- 9 Interesting West Philippine Sea Facts You Must Know
- 13 Gulf Of Riga Facts You Must Know
Disclaimer: The authors’ views expressed on this article don’t essentially mirror the views of Marine-Salvage. Data and charts, if used within the article, have been sourced from out there info and haven’t been authenticated by any statutory authority. The creator and Marine-Salvage don’t declare it to be correct nor settle for any duty for a similar. The views represent solely the opinions and don’t represent any tips or suggestions on any plan of action to be adopted by the reader.
The article or pictures can’t be reproduced, copied, shared or utilized in any type with out the permission of the creator and Marine-Salvage.
Do you’ve gotten data to share with us ? Suggest a correction
Latest Maritime Knowledge You Would Like:
10 Timor Sea Facts You Might Not Know
8 Interesting Facts About Cape Cornwall
8 Interesting Facts About Cape Route
Top 10 Fjords in Norway
7 Major Ports Of Croatia
10 Biggest Straits Of The World
Get the Latest Maritime News Delivered to Your Inbox!
Our free, quick, and enjoyable publication on the worldwide maritime trade, delivered on a regular basis.
About Author
Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid author, possessing immaculate analysis and modifying abilities. Author of a number of tutorial papers, she has additionally labored as a contract author, producing many technical, artistic and advertising items. A real aesthete at coronary heart, she loves books somewhat greater than anything.
