Egyptian authorities have approved a plan to widen and deepen the Suez Canal after it was blocked for six days by the mega containership, Ever Given.
Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, has approved plans to expand the Suez Canal. The expansion was announced on Tuesday and will involve widening and dredging the southern part of the canal where the giant boxship, Ever Given went hard aground in March. The six-day blockage is estimated to have held up 12% of the world’s maritime trade.
Suez Canal Authority chairman, Osama Rabie unveiled the expansion plan in a televised address that was attended by El-Sisi and said, “It will lead to improvements in the ability of the guide and the captain of any ship to navigate inside the canal.”
Last year, 18,829 ships with a total net tonnage of 1.17 billion passed through the canal, and the average daily traffic ranged from 40 to 50 ships.
