Suez canal delays

The project to deepen the Suez Canal in Egypt is running behind schedule because an unexpected increase in Traffic has hampered dredging work, according to the chairman of the Suez Canal Authority.

He said in the report that the authority had hoped to complete the work by the end of 2006, making the canal 20.1 m deep instead of 19 m, enabling larger ships to use the waterway.

Chairman, Ahmed Ali Fadel, said, “I doubt we will be able to complete this phase by the end of the year because of the high number of ships passing through. the dredgers work only when the convoys stop. This does not worry us because there is a guaranteed revenue from the current increase in the number of ships. There is no need for us to hurry,” he added.

At the end of the current project, which is costing EGP 1.2 billion (US$ 210 million), the canal will be able to accommodate vessels larger than 220000 tonnes.