The paper discusses the main aspects of sea freight traffic in the Europe-Asia-Europe direction through the Suez Canal in the period 2011-2019, and also names the main events that preceded the opening of the canal. The main objectives of the renovation of the Suez Canal are analyzed. The purpose of the study is to determine what tasks for the future development should face the Suez Canals in its new project, their reality in the light of the opening of alternative transport corridors. The work uses the methods of expert assessment, the general scientific dialectical method of cognition, as well as a number of economic methods. Also, the following specific scientific methods were used: the method of comparative legal analysis, the method of complex and systemic analysis, etc. Some of the results of the work were approved through scientific and practical discussions at Russian national and international conferences on maritime navigation in the context of both the national legal system and international standards, norms and rules of transportation.