Suez Canal Authority head Mohab Mamish said the deepening of the canal’s western effluents from 48 feet to 52 feet is nearly complete, according to an Anadolu news agency report Monday.
The increased depth will allow large container ships entering the canal from the Mediterranean to use them, reducing their crossing time to about four hours. Such ships currently use the main canal.
The report also quoted Mamish as saying that canal management is considering creating additional effluents in order to reduce wait times. The authority has already expanded waiting areas in the Bitter Lakes area and established emergency garages for large vessels near the entrance to the western effluents.
Mamish said that the canal can already accommodate all container and cargo vessels, and that the improvements are mainly to reduce travel time and maximize canal revenues.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
