Just off the coast of Port Said is an example of orderly behaviour that belies the often chaotic nature of life on land in Egypt. As the world's container ships approach the northern opening of the Suez Canal, they form a majestic queue in the Mediterranean Sea, where they wait before gliding through the narrow passage. In recent years the shipping lanes of the Middle East, notably the Suez Canal, the Bab al-Mandab strait and the Strait of Hor-muz (see map), have remained largely immune from the wars and rivalries of the countries that surround them. Even Iran's mysterious seizure of a container ship off its coast on April 28th has done little to disrupt the flow. Shippers have grown accustomed to the volatility and believe the gatekeepers of crucial sea lanes have too much to lose by blocking them.
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