Compagnie universelle du canal maritime de Suez
| Fate | Merger with Lyonnaise des Eaux to form Suez S.A. (1997) |
|---|---|
| Successor | GDF Suez (2008) |
| Founded | 1858 |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Ismaïlia |
|
Key people
|
Ferdinand de Lesseps - founder |
The Universal Maritime Suez Canal Company (French: Compagnie universelle du canal maritime de Suez, or simply Compagnie de Suez for short) was the corporation that constructed and operated the Suez Canal between 1859 and 1869. It was formed by Ferdinand de Lesseps in 1858, and it owned and operated the canal for many years thereafter. Initially, French private investors were the majority of the shareholders, with Egypt also having a significant stake.
The company exists today, after a series of mergers, as GDF Suez which became known as Engie in April, 2015. However, today the canal is owned and operated by the Suez Canal Authority.
When Isma'il Pasha became Wāli of Egypt and Sudan in 1863, he refused to adhere to the concessions to the Canal company made by his predecessor Said. The problem was referred during 1864 to the arbitration of Napoleon III, who awarded £3,800,000 to the company as compensation for the losses they would incur by the changes to the original grant which Ismail demanded. During 1875, a financial crisis forced Isma'il to sell his shares to the British Government for only £3,976,582.
The company operated the canal until its nationalization by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1956, which led to the Suez Crisis. In 1962, Egypt made its final payments for the canal to the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company and took full control of the Suez Canal.
In 1997, the company merged with to form Suez S.A., which was later merged with Gaz de France on 22 July 2008 to form GDF Suez.
In 1938, Benito Mussolini demanded that Italy have a sphere of influence in the Suez Canal, specifically demanding that an Italian representative be placed on the company's board of directors. Italy opposed the French monopoly over the Suez Canal because under French domination of the company all Italian merchant traffic to its colony of Italian East Africa was forced to pay tolls upon entering the canal.
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Wikipedia