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How did the Six-Day War affect Alexandria’s port and economy?
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Alexandria
The mosque of Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Mursī, Alexandria, Egypt.
The Six-Day War in June 1967 had a significant impact on Alexandria’s port and economy, primarily due to the closure of the Suez Canal and the resulting regional instability.1
- Port Congestion: Following the closure of the Suez Canal and the evacuation of residents from the canal zone, trade was diverted from Port Said to Alexandria. This influx of diverted trade caused the port to become severely swamped.1
- Economic Dislocation: The city suffered from the general economic dislocation caused by Egypt’s defeat in the war.1
- Infrastructure Shifts: The long-term closure of the Suez Canal (which remained closed until 1975) eventually prompted the development of the Sumed pipeline, which transported crude oil from the city of Suez to the Mediterranean near Alexandria, opening in 1977 to help mitigate the loss of canal-based oil transit.12
Alexandria had not fully recovered from these disruptions when the Egyptian government introduced an open-door trade policy in 1974, which led to a subsequent flood of consumer imports.1