Captains frequently face demands for facilitation payments for the right of passage and have regularly struggled with demands for cigarettes and small cash sums when transiting the Suez Canal. The MACN anonymous incident data highlights the challenges crew and vessels face to avoid safety hazards or lengthy delays.

To tackle challenges in in the Suez Canal, MACN launched a “Say No” campaign on the International Anti-Corruption Day in 2015. The aim of this initiative was to establish a collective effort by engaging and uniting MACN members to reject corrupt demands in the Suez Canal. Following MACN’s ‘Say No’ campaign of 2015, reported incidents saw a visible decline with demands for cigarettes and threats to the safety of the crews and the vessel decreasing. Over time the campaign has expanded to include additional member companies and in 2021, MACN, in partnership with ELDIB, set up its local HelpDesk in Egypt. The HelpDesk allows MACN members to get 24/7 support when faced with a corruption challenge in Egyptian ports and waterways.