US Congressional Delegation Visits Suez Canal

A U.S. Congressmen's assistants visited the Suez Canal to get acquainted with the developments projects there. The authority had previously received a delegation of congressional aides in December of last year.

Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal, who received the delegation, stressed the strategic importance of the canal in the navigation community and the unprecedented developments it is witnessing at all levels, in light of the political leadership’s interest in strengthening its vital role in support of serving the global trade movement and maximizing its benefit to remain a vital artery for the whole world.

He referred to the navigation system in the Suez Canal and the many navigational advantages that the new Suez Canal project achieved, as it allowed ships to cross in both directions without waiting.

It also contributed to achieving more economic savings by reducing transit hours and reducing the operational cost of transiting ships, which was reflected in the competitiveness of the canal.

Rabie explained that the importance of the Suez Canal was evident during the crisis of the stranded ship “EVER GIVEN”, as all navigation departments and supply chains were affected by the suspension of navigation within the canal, and the attention of all countries of the world turned towards Egypt, waiting for the ship to float and restore navigation.

He praised the efforts of all the authority’s employees and what They made a continuous effort around the clock to float and rescue the ship, a process that saw the introduction of dredging for the first time in the history of marine salvage.

He stressed that the Suez Canal is closely following the developments of the ship industry globally, by implementing a set of waterway development projects, including the development of the southern sector and the establishment of a series of garages on the waterway, in addition to the development of 16 monitoring stations, in parallel with the efforts to develop and modernize the authority’s marine fleet of dredgers and auxiliary marine units.

Rabie added that the Suez Canal is keen to keep pace with technological developments globally, by promoting the trend towards digital transformation and its various applications provided by electronic services, most notably the online reservation service through the authority's official website.

The audience watched a set of documentary films that chronicled the history of the canal, and reviewed the various stages of its development, including the New Suez Canal project, which succeeded in raising the canal's classification globally and maintaining its leading position.

The visit included a cruise in the new Suez Canal, followed by a visit to the Ismailia Tunnels site “Long Live Egypt” to see the size of the achievement on the ground, then a visit to the St Agath Church.