Egyptian President Sisi approved the Suez Canal Authority’s plan to widen the waterway in the South Section of the Suez Canal, which is expected to be completed within two years, Egypt’s Al-Jazeera newspaper reported Wednesday.
According to reports, Sisi and Suez Canal Authority President Usama Rabiya attended the same day in Egypt’s northeastern province of Ismailia, the delivery ceremony of a number of projects. Sisi said at the ceremony that the cargo ship stranding accident in March highlighted the importance of widening the Suez transport south section of the waterway.
Rabier said the plan, which covers about 30 kilometers of the Suez Canal from Suez to Lake Great Bitter, will be extended 40 meters wider and the maximum depth from about 20 meters to about 22 meters. When completed, the plan will enable the Suez River south section of the waterway to have two-way access capacity, improve the efficiency of canal access.
The Panama-flagged heavy cargo ship Chang-Hui ran aground on 23 March in the new channel of the Suez Canal, causing a blockage in the waterway. After several days of rescue, the stranded cargo ship on March 29 successfully floated. In April, the first large-scale winch dredger purchased by the Suez Canal Authority was delivered to widen the shipping lanes in the Henan section.
The Suez Canal is located at the junction of Europe, Asia and Africa and connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. The canal revenue is one of the main sources of revenue and foreign exchange reserves for egypt.
