Following the Ever Given’s groudning on March 23, which blocked the Suez Canal in both directions for 6 days, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) plans to expand and deepen the southern stretch of the waterway.
About a month ago, SCA was first announced its considerations on the waterway expansion.
However, Chairman Osama Rabie officially confirmed and presented the plan at an event attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who indicated that the project should be completed in 24 months at most.
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As informed, the SCA plans to widen the southernmost 30-kilometre (18-mile) stretch of the waterway between the city of Suez and the Bitter Lakes area by 40 metres (130 feet) eastwards. At the same time, it also plans to deepen that section to 72 feet from 66 feet.
What is more, a second canal lane that opened in 2015 north of the Great Bitter Lake to allow two-directional traffic would be extended by 10km on the southern side of the lake, to reach a total length of 82 km and allowing more ships to pass, Rabie said.
While further expansion to the canal had been under consideration, the grounding of the 440-metre Ever Given container ship on March 23 highlighted the urgency of the plans.
The vessel, still loaded with thousands of containers, is being held in the Great Bitter Lake amid a dispute over an SCA compensation claim against the Ever Given’s Japanese owner Shoei Kisen.
