abstract:The Universal Suez Ship Canal Company (, 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 it for many years thereafter.
In the eighteen eighties, Ferdinand de Lesseps -- builder of the Suez Canal -- formed a French company to build a waterway across Panama.
VOA: special.2010.08.12
The Universal Company of the Maritime SuezCanal, formed in 1858, was one of earliest multinational corporations: its directors were French, Belgian, American, Russian and Venetian.