The two most famous canals - and an upstart-battle to move the biggest ships in global trade. In 1984 about a million tons of cargo passed through the Suez Canal every day. Last year that number was up to 2.6 million. Over the same period, the number of ships traversing the canal every day dropped, from more than 21,000 to about 17,000. How? The ships got bigger. The highest-capacity container ship at sea today holds more than four times as much cargo as the record holder in 1984. With global demand for imported goods increasing, companies employ the cost-effective strategy of cramming everything on large vessels and making fewer trips.
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