Egypt to inaugurate expansion of Suez canal in Aug
Ismailiya
Egypt will inaugurate a “new Suez canal” shipping route on August 6 aimed at speeding up traffic along the existing waterway and boosting revenues, officials said yesterday.
Dubbed the Suez Canal Axis, the new 72-kilometre project will run part of the way alongside the existing canal that connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.
It involves 37 kilometres of dry digging and 35 kilometres of expansion and deepening of the Suez Canal, in a bid to help speed up the movement of vessels.
“The digging and dredging operations will be completed on July 15,” Suez Canal Authority chief Mohab Mameesh told in the canal city of Ismailiya.
“A ceremony will be held on August 6 to inaugurate the project, but it is not clear when the canal will be effectively open for business,” added Mameesh.
The project is part of an ambitious plan to develop the zone around the canal into an industrial and commercial hub, that would include the construction of ports and provide shipping services.
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