New Suez Canal, Maritime expansion project in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt
The New Suez Canal is a 72-kilometer waterway running parallel to the original canal in Egypt, allowing vessels to move in both directions at the same time. The expansion nearly doubles daily capacity and reduces transit time for ships traveling between Europe and Asia to around eleven hours.
Construction began in August 2014 and required dredging 250 million cubic meters of material over roughly one year. The expanded waterway opened in August 2015 and allowed vessels to pass in both directions through the Egyptian region at the same time for the first time.
This project was financed through investment certificates purchased by Egyptian citizens, turning the undertaking into a matter of national pride. The certificates sold out within days and demonstrated widespread support across the country for expanding this vital shipping route.
The waterway runs through Ismailia Governorate and is visible from the water as it handles shipping traffic between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Visitors can watch passing vessels from several viewing points along the original canal route, especially in towns along the shore.
During construction, 45 dredging vessels worked on the waterway at the same time and reached a daily output of 1.73 million cubic meters of excavated material in May 2015. This pace set a record for projects of this kind and shortened the originally estimated construction period considerably.
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