Suez Canal ExpansionSuez Canal ExpansionIn 2014, months after taking office as President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered the expansion of the Ballah Bypass from 61 metres (200 ft) wide to 312 metres (1,024 ft) wide for 35 kilometres (22 mi). The project was called the New Suez Canal, as it allows ships to transit the canal in both directions simultaneously. The project cost more than LE 59.4 billion (US$9 billion) and was completed within a year. Sisi declared the expanded channel open to business in a ceremony on 6 August 2015. Suez Canal Incidents
On 23 March 2021, at around 05:40 UTC (07:40 local time), the Suez Canal was blocked in both directions by ultra-large Evergreen G-class container ship Ever Given. The ship, operated by Evergreen Marine, was en route from Malaysia to the Netherlands when it ran aground after strong winds allegedly blew the ship off course. Upon running aground, Ever Given turned sideways, completely blocking the canal. Although part of the length of the canal is paralleled by an older narrower channel which can be used to bypass obstructions, this incident occurred to the south, in a section of the canal where there is only one channel. When the incident began, many economists and trade experts commented on the effects of the obstruction if not resolved quickly, citing how important the Suez was to global trade, the incident was likely to drastically affect the global economy because of the trapped goods scheduled to go through the canal. Among those goods, oil shipments were the most affected in the immediate aftermath, due to a significant number still blocked with no other way to reach their destination. Referring to the European and American market, a few maritime experts have disputed the prediction of a drastic effect on trade, saying this "really isn't a substantial transit route for crude" according to Marshall Steeves, energy markets analyst at IHS Markit, and "there are existing stocks" according to Camille Egloff of Boston Consulting Group and alternative sources of supply, noting that traffic only slowed down and that it might only have impacted sectors with existing shortages (such as the semiconductor industry). The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) estimated that up to $3 billion worth of cargo passes through the Suez Canal every day. It was said the blockage would have an impact on cargo schedules around the world. Shipping companies were also considering whether to divert their ships along the much longer route around the Cape of Good Hope. The first container ship diverted was Ever Given's sister ship, Ever Greet. Ever Given was re-floated on 29 March. Within a few hours, cargo traffic resumed, slowly resolving the backlog of around 450 ships. The first ship to pass through the canal after Ever Given's recovery was YM Wish, a Hong Kong-based cargo ship. On 2 April 2021, Usama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority of Egypt, said that the damage caused by the blockage of the canal could reach about $1 billion. Rabie also revealed that after the Suez Canal resumed navigation, as of noon on 31 March 285 cargo ships had passed through the canal smoothly. He said that the remaining 175 freighters waiting to pass through the canal would all pass by 2 April. After the incident, the Egyptian government announced that they would be widening the narrower parts of the canal. On 9 September 2021, the canal was briefly blocked again by MV Coral Crystal. However, this ship was freed within 15 minutes, presenting minimal disruption to other convoys. Suez Canal 2023 Grounding On 25 May 2023, a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship, MV Xin Hai Tong 23, was grounded near the southern end of the canal, but it was refloated by tugboats in less than a day. Suez Canal Layout and Operation When built, the canal was 164 km (102 mi) long and 8 m (26 ft) deep. After several enlargements, it is 193.30 km (120+1⁄8 mi) long, 24 m (79 ft) deep and 205 m (673 ft) wide. It consists of the northern access channel of 22 km (14 mi), the canal itself of 162.25 km (100+7⁄8 mi) and the southern access channel of 9 km (5+1⁄2 mi). The so-called New Suez Canal, functional since 6 August 2015, currently has a new parallel canal in the middle part, with its length over 35 kilometres (22 mi). The current parameters of the Suez Canal, including both individual canals of the parallel section are: depth 23 to 24 m (75 to 79 ft) and width at least 205 to 225 m (673 to 738 ft) (that width measured at 11 m (36 ft) of depth). Suez Canal Capacity The canal allows passage of ships up to 20 m (66 ft) draft or 240,000 deadweight tons and up to a height of 68 m (223 ft) above water level and a maximum beam of 77.5 m (254 ft) under certain conditions. The canal can handle more traffic and larger ships than the Panama Canal, as Suezmax dimensions are greater than both Panamax and New Panamax. Some supertankers are too large to traverse the canal. Others can offload part of their cargo onto a canal-owned ship to reduce their draft, transit, and reload at the other end of the canal. On 15 April 2021 Egyptian authorities announced that they would widen the southern section of the Suez Canal to improve the efficiency of the canal. The plan mainly covers about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Suez to the Great Bitter Lake. It will be widened by 40 metres (130 ft) and the maximum depth will be increased from about 20 metres (66 ft) to about 22 metres (72 ft). Suez Canal Navigation Ships approaching the canal from the sea are expected to radio the harbour when they are within 15 nautical miles (28 kilometres) of the Fairway Buoy near Port Said. The canal has no locks because of the flat terrain, and the minor sea level difference between each end is inconsequential for shipping. As the canal has no sea surge gates, the ports at the ends would be subject to the sudden impact of tsunamis from the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea, according to a 2012 article in the Journal of Coastal Research. There is one shipping lane with passing areas in Ballah-Bypass near El Qantara and in the Great Bitter Lake. On a typical day, three convoys transit the canal, two southbound and one northbound. The passage takes between 11 and 16 hours at a speed of around 8 knots (15 km/h or 9 mph). The low speed helps prevent erosion of the banks by ships' wakes. By 1955, about two-thirds of Europe's oil passed through the canal. Around 8% of world sea trade is carried via the canal. In 2008, 21,415 vessels passed through the canal and the receipts totalled $5.381 billion, with an average cost per ship of $251,000. New Rules of Navigation came into force on 1 January 2008, passed by the board of directors of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) to organise vessels' transit. The most important amendments include allowing vessels with 19-metre (62 ft) draught to pass, increasing the allowed breadth from 32 to 40 metres (105 to 131 ft) (following improvement operations), and imposing a fine on vessels using pilots from outside the SCA inside the canal boundaries without permission. The amendments allow vessels loaded with dangerous cargo (such as radioactive or flammable materials) to pass if they conform with the latest amendments provided by international conventions. The SCA has the right to determine the number of tugs required to assist warships traversing the canal, to achieve the highest degree of safety during transit. Suez Canal Overview Suez Canal Coordinates: 30°42′18″N 32°20′39″E Suez Canal Length: 193.3 km (120.1 miles) Suez Canal Maximum Boat Beam: 77.5 m (254 ft 3 in) Suez Canal Maximum Boat Draft: 20.1 m (66 ft) Suez Canal Locks: None Suez Canal Navigation Authority: Suez Canal Authority Suez Canal Construction Began: 25 April 1859 Suez Canal Date Completed: 17 November 1869 Suez Canal Start Point: Port Said Suez Canal End Point: Suez Port Suez Canal Route Map km W E Mediterranean Sea Approaches (Southward convoy waiting area) 0.0 Port Said Martyr Mujand Abanoub Girgis Bridge Al Salam Bridge 51.5 Eastern lane: New Suez Canal (2015) El Ferdan Railway Bridge (under construction) 76.5 Ismaïlia, SCA headquarters Tunnel Ismailia New Ismala Lake Timsah Maadia Al Qantarah Street 95.0 Deversoir Great Bitter Lake Small Bitter Lake Ahmed Hamdi Northern Tunnel Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel Martyr Ahmed El-Mansy Pontoon Bridge Overhead powerline 162 Suez, Suez Port Gulf of Suez (Northward convoy waiting area) Red Sea | |||||
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