Queueing at the Suez Canal

This paper describes an investigation into the delays experienced by ships waiting to pass through the Suez Canal. The main objective of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is to provide an attractive service to ship-operators, and in doing so to maximize the income received from canal tolls. Thus, SCA wishes to maximize the throughput of vessels, but also requires queueing delays to be held at an acceptable level. This paper quantifies both measures (throughput and delays), and illustrates how they are in confiict to some extent. The study is somewhat unusual in that it affords the opportunity to employ more than one Operational Research OR technique (linear programming and queueing theory/simulation) in the quantification process. Some of the work reported was undertaken in a consultative capacity, and the remainder as part of an ongoing research programme.