Egypt approves enlarging of Suez
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi approved a plan on May 11 to widen and deepen the south part of the Suez Canal, following the trade route's obstruction for six days in March after a grounding of a containership.
The project "will lead to improvements in the ability of the guide and the captain of any ship to navigate inside the canal," Suez Canal Authority (SCA) head Osama Rabie said in a televised address. A 40-km stretch of the waterway will be widened between the city of Suez and the Bitter Lakes area by 40 m and it will be deepened from 66 to 72 ft. A second canal lane north of the Great Bitter Lake will be extended by 10 km.
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The 440-m Ever Given containership became wedged diagonally in the Suez Canal on March 23, blocking all traffic, and was not freed until March 29. It remains held with its cargo in Greater Bitter Lake, as SCA pursues $916mn in damage claims against its Japanese owner Shoei Kisen.