One of the biggest dredging projects of the current century, the New Suez Canal was, according to experts, a titanic effort in operations, planning and production to complete within the one year deadline. Opened in 1869 after 10 years of construction, the Suez Canal was one of the greatest maritime projects of the time. It was only wide enough for one-way traffic, and transiting ships would stop in a passing bay to allow the passage of ships in the other direction.

Almost 150 years later, the need for increased capacity had become clear to the Government of Egypt. In 2014, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) unveiled a plan to expand the canal and build a new lane that would allow the transit of ships in two directions.