Egypt approves Suez Canal Channel 

Widening Plan

Since the Suez Canal blockage, Egypt has realized the limitations of the Suez Canal. According to Egyptian official media reports on May 11, Egyptian President Sisi approved the Suez Canal Authority’s plan for widening the southern section of the Suez Canal on the same day. The plan 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 on the same day. Sisi said at the ceremony that the grounding of a freighter in March 2021 highlighted the importance of widening the southern section of the Suez Canal.

Rabie said that the plan mainly covers about 30 kilometers of the Suez Canal from Suez 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.

The heavy freighter "Longci" flying the Panamanian flag ran aground on the new channel of the Suez Canal on March 23, causing a blockage of the channel. After several consecutive days of rescue, the stranded freighter successfully lifted off 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 Asia, Europe and Africa, connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The income from the canal is one of the main sources of Egyptian national fiscal revenue and foreign exchange reserves.