Suez Canal to be widened!
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday approved a plan submitted by the Suez Canal Authority to widen the southern section of the canal, which is expected to be completed within two years, Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported Thursday.
According to reports, Sisi and Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabiyeh attended the delivery ceremony of a number of projects in Ismailia Province in northeastern Egypt.At the ceremony, Mr. Sisi said the March grounding of a cargo ship underscored the importance of widening the southern section of the Suez Canal.
The plan, which covers about 30 kilometers of the Suez Canal between the city of Suez and the Great Bitter Lake, will be expanded by 40 meters and its maximum depth will be increased from about 20 meters to about 22 meters, Rabeeh said.The completion of the project will enable the southern section of the Suez Canal to have two-way traffic capacity, improving the efficiency of the canal.
On March 23, the Panamanian-flagged heavy freighter, the Long Ci, ran aground in the new Suez Canal waterway, blocking the waterway.After several days of rescue, the stranded cargo ship successfully floated on March 29.In April, the Suez Canal Authority delivered the first large cutter-suction dredger to widen the canal's southern route.
The Suez Canal is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.Revenue from the canal is one of Egypt's main sources of state revenue and foreign exchange reserves.
