According to Egypt’s Al-Ahram newspaper report on the 11th, Egyptian President Sisi approved the Suez Canal Administration’s plan for widening the southern section of the Suez Canal on the same day, which is expected to be completed within two years.
According to reports, Osama Rabie, chairman of the Sisi and Suez Canal Authority, attended the delivery ceremony of a number of projects in Ismailia Province in northeastern Egypt. Sisi said at the ceremony that the grounding of a freighter in March this year highlighted the importance of widening the southern section of the Suez Canal.
Rabie said that the plan mainly covers about 30 kilometres of the Suez Canal from the Suez City to the Great Bitter Lake. It will be widened by 40 meters on the previous basis, and the maximum depth will be increased from about 20 meters to about 22 meters. After the completion of the plan, the southern section of the Suez Canal will have two-way traffic capacity and improve the efficiency of the canal.
On March 23, the heavy freighter “Changci" flying the Panamanian flag ran aground on the news channel of the Suez Canal, causing a blockage of the channel. After several consecutive days of rescue, the stranded freighter successfully floated on March 29. In April, the first large cutter suction dredger purchased by the Suez Canal Authority was delivered to widen the channel of the southern section of the canal.
The Suez Canal is located at the junction of Europe, Asia and Africa, connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. The income from the canal is one of the main sources of Egyptian national fiscal revenue and foreign exchange reserves.