The Suez Canal is one of the world's most important trading routes. It was opened in 1869. By 2021, over a century later, roughly fifty ships travel through the canal each day. This is about 12% of total global trade. When it was built, the canal was basically one way, with a part in the middle where ships could pass each other. Today, ships can pass each other in many parts of the canal. Where this is not possible, convoys of ships must take turns. The canal is being expanded, but most parts are still single-lane.