The deepening of the canal’s western effluents from 48 feet to 52 feet is nearly complete, stated Mohab Mamish, the Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority.
Thanks to this project, the bigger container vessels entering the 120-mile stretch of waterway from the Mediterranean will reduce their crossing time to around four hours, according to egyptindependent.com.
Mamish added that the authority, parallely with the dredging program, has already completed the expansion of the waiting areas in the Bitter Lakes area.
Speaking to an Anadolu news agency, he said that these big vessels currently use the main canal.
[mappress]
Dredging Today Staff, October 10, 2012; Image: suezcanal