Buried in a story about Suez Canal traffic hitting five-year lows on economic weakness was a semi-amusing nugget:
Suez Canal traffic in January hit its lowest level in five years because of the global financial crisis and boats taking other routes to avoid piracy, a Canal Authority official said on Sunday.
The number of boats passing through the narrow channel in January was 1,313 compared to 1,690 in January 2007, down 22 percent, the unnamed official said.
… Arms manufacturers in particular have rerouted their shipping round the Cape of Good Hope in recent months to avoid pirates preying on vessels en route between the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean. [Emphasis mine]
More here.
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