The owner of the Suez Canal wants to expand part of the waterway after congestion in Evergiven | abroad

After inclement weather, the 400-meter Ever Geffen ship got stuck in the stern and line on the shallow sides of the famous Egyptian Canal in March. It took nearly a week for the container ship to be towed again.

The consequences for the international transportation of goods were significant. The Suez Canal is an important shipping route for international trade between Asia and Europe. Every day, ships transport $ 10 billion worth of cargo through the canal. About 350 ships had to wait because of the blockade. Some ships decided to sail around Africa, and some ended up in long traffic jams on either side of the canal.

The head of the Suez Canal Authority, Osama Rabie, announced, on Tuesday, the intention to expand, at an event in the presence of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Other projects have also been announced, such as a new museum and playground.

Egypt had already opened the “ new ” Suez Canal in 2015, which was parallel to the old canal for 72 kilometers and was intended to facilitate the passage of ships. The existing portions of the canal have also been deepened. But with this job costing around 7.2 billion euros, the northern part has been fundamentally refurbished. The southern part will also now be made a little deeper as well as being wider.

President Al-Sisi directed the operator to complete the expansion plan “as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, The Ever Given remains on the series. An Egyptian court last week challenged the confiscation of the Japanese owner Lower his voice. The Egyptian authorities are asking the ship’s owners for compensation of $ 900 million (about 750 million euros). This is the amount Egypt said it spent on the entire rescue operation.