The Suez Canal
1) Shortened the time needed for people, mail and cargo to travel from Europe to Singapore
Lower shippping costs because of
the savings in distance and time
2) Increased the volume of ships passing through the Straits of Melaka
The straits of Melaka overtook the Sunda Straits as the main route from Europe to the Far East
Secured Singapore's dominance in
the region
3) Led to increased use of steamships
Sailing ships could not use the
Suez Canal throughout the year
Steamships travelling long distances had to stop at regular intervals to refuel with coal and fresh water
Enhanced Singapore's role as a coaling station
4) Shortened the journey to Singapore from London which now took 50 days instead of 120 days
Merchants had been searching for
a shorter route form Europe to Asia
Singapore saw a larger volume of
ships and people arriving
Old route was Inconvenient and
costly
This resulted in the Suez canal becoming one of the busiest waterways in the world
Since shorter distance meant shorter voyage time, costs were reduced and more people were willing to make the journey
With the arrival of more ships, trade also increased. Singapore's import sand exports rose
5) Why the need for Suez canal?
Because of the industrial revolution and the need for raw materials, more ships were travelling between Europe and Asia
They took a long route from London, around the southern tip of Africa, and then onto India or China
6) Origins of the Suez canal
A French engineer, Ferdinand de Lesseps drew up plans to cut a new route between Africa and Arabia
Money was raised from France, Egypt and the Ottoman Empire to build the canal
This new route would allow ships
to avoid the long detour
The Suez canal was then
completed in 1869
7) Problems from the Suez canal
Singapore's docks soon became overcrowded
There was not enough space on
the river to build warehouses
There was a need for more space to store goods traded, as well as the supplies such as food an coal to restock the ships
Old Harbour was not equppied to
handle the larger volume of goods
Efforts were made to improve the existing facilities in the New Harbour (later renamed Keppel Harbour)