Suez Canal Duplication Project in Lesser Bitter Lakes Successful

Egypt announced on Saturday the successful trial operation of the Suez Canal duplication project, which aims to increase the canal’s double lane by 10 kilometers.

This achievement comes despite the challenges Egypt has faced due to the decline in Suez Canal revenues since the start of Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in November 2023.

In a statement, Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced the successful trial operation of the project in the Lesser Bitter Lakes area, where two ships crossed the new waterway. This project is part of the plan to develop the southern sector of the canal.

Egypt had begun expanding and developing the southern sector of the canal after the grounding of the container ship “EVERGIVEN” in 2021, which led to the closure of the waterway for six days.

On the other hand, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi confirmed on Thursday that Egypt lost about $7 billion in Suez Canal revenues in 2024 due to “regional challenges,” representing a decrease of more than 60% compared to 2023.

The new expansion will increase the length of the New Suez Canal to 82 kilometers instead of 72 kilometers, which will increase the canal’s capacity by an increase from 6 to 8 ships per day, in addition to improving the ability to deal with emergencies.