Editing Suez Canal (section)

=== Cape Agulhas ===
The main alternative is around [[Cape Agulhas]], the southernmost point of Africa, commonly referred to as the [[Cape of Good Hope]] route. This was the only sea route before the canal was constructed, and when the canal was closed. It is still the only route for ships that are [[Capesize|too large]] for the canal. In the early 21st century, the Suez Canal has suffered from diminished traffic due to [[piracy in Somalia]], with many shipping companies choosing to take the long route instead.<ref>Liam Stack, [http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2008/1121/p99s01-wome.html Arab countries meet to tackle Somali pirate threat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125113917/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2008/1121/p99s01-wome.html |date=25 January 2011 }} – ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (21 November 2008).</ref><ref>Louis Wasser, [http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Somali-piracy-costs-Suez-Canal-business-3163446.php Somali piracy costs Suez Canal business] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112155951/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Somali-piracy-costs-Suez-Canal-business-3163446.php |date=12 January 2018 }}, ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (29 April 2009).</ref> Between 2008 and 2010, it is estimated that the canal lost 10% of traffic due to the threat of piracy, and another 10% due to the [[2008 financial crisis]]. An [[oil tanker]] going from Saudi Arabia to the United States has {{cvt|2700|mi|0|order=flip}} farther to go when taking the route south of Africa rather than the canal.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://oceansbeyondpiracy.org/documents/The_Economic_Cost_of_Piracy_Full_Report.pdf |title=The Economic Cost of Maritime Piracy |last=Bowden |first=Anna |date=December 2010 |page=13 |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120629210819/http://oceansbeyondpiracy.org/documents/The_Economic_Cost_of_Piracy_Full_Report.pdf |archive-date=29 June 2012 |url-status=unfit |display-authors=et al |series=One Earth Future Working Paper}}</ref>