Copyright 2010 © Atlantic Maritime All Rights Reserved. Ships transit the SC in three convoys daily: ( See: Navigation Rules )       N1 (Southbound Convoy 1): From Port Said at hr 0000       N2 (Southbound Convoy 2): From Port Said at hr 0700       S (Northbound Convoy) : From Suez at hr 0600   Suez Canal Trafic System   he convoy system allows ships to transit the Canal at fixed speed and with fixed separating distance between every two ships.   The speed limit is 13 - 14 km/hr for Tankers & draft ships and 16  km/hr for other ship types .   The emergency stopping time between the ships in the convoys is  about 10 min.   Vessel takes from 12 - 16 hours to transit the canal.   The interval between vessels in a convoy is about 10-16 minutes  which is equivalent to 2-3 km distance.   There are 14 Pilotage Stations at the western bank of the Canal that along side with the traffic control office offer assistance for the passage of vessels.   Pilotage by SC pilots is compulsory for all transiting vessels. The  SCA assigns four pilots for each transiting vessel; each one embarks and disembarks the vessel at a certain location as follows:  The first pilot boards the vessel at the northern waiting area and disembarks at the entrance of the Canal in Port-Said.  The second pilot boards the vessel in Port-Said and  disembarks in Ismailia.  The Third pilot boards the vessel in Ismailia and disembarks in Suez.  The fourth pilot boards the vessel in Suez until it leaves the  Canal into the open sea. Traffic Statistics 1869 1956 2008 No of vessels 104 3 291 22 000 Net Ton 81 000 Ton 107   M. Ton 900 M. Ton Toll Revenues FF  1 . 3 Million  US$ 39 Million US$ 5 Billion SC Share of World  Seaborne Trade 10 %