SUEZ CANAL COMPANY...

The Suez Canal Company was a corporation formed in 1858 by Ferdinand de Lesseps a French diplomat; this corporation constructed and operated the Suez Canal between 1859 and 1869. In the beginning the company was principally operated by French investors but Egypt also had a significant stake. Different organizations were part of this company and between their associates had an Egyptian nationality that was responsible for navigations and a head office located in France. Its workforce was made up of workers from the Mediterranean basin and its main shareholder was the British State.

Before 1945, this was a colonial company that only focused on the operation of the canal but after the Second World War, it evolved into a multinational organization with a head office in Paris and some offices in London and New York and services in Egypt.

In the first year of the existence of the canal, some three-quarters of the vessels used were British. By the mid-1870s, Ismail viceroy of Egypt 1863-79 incurred massive debts, offered for sale the shares of his country in the canal. To have the influence of Britain, British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli bought Egypt's shareholding for £4 million.

After the crisis of the Suez Canal , Egypt created the Suez Canal Authority with the intention to replace the Suez Canal Company that operated in the 1950s; this authority is responsible  for operating and maintaining the Canal and it is led by 14 persons.