Egypt
2.1.20 Egypt Suez Canal
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Port Overview

The Suez Canal (In Arabic: Qanat as-Suways), is an artificial sea-level waterway running north to south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt to connect the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The canal separates Africa from Asia, and it provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans. It is one of the world's most heavily used shipping lanes. The Suez Canal is one of the most important waterways in the world. The canal is extensively used by modern ships, as it is the fastest crossing from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. Tolls paid by the vessels represent an important source of income for the Egyptian Government.

Railway and a sweet water canals run on the west bank parallel to the Suez Canal. The Canal runs between Port Said harbor and the Gulf of Suez, through soils which vary according to the region. At Port Said and the surrounding area, the soil is composed over thousands of years of silt and clay sedimentations deposited by the Nile waters drifted by Damietta branch. This formation extends to Kantara, 40 km to the south of Port Said, where silt mixes with sand. The central region of the Canal between Kantara and Kabret consists of fine and coarse sands, while the southern region contains dispersed layers of rocks, varying in texture from soft sand to some calcium rocks, The side gradient of the water cross section differs according to the nature of the soil, which is 4:1 in the north and 3:1 in the south.

The Suez Canal is a sea level canal and the height of water level differs slightly and the extreme tidal range is 65 cm in the north and 1.9 m in the south. The banks of the  canal are protected against the wash and waves, generated by the transit of ships, by revetments of hard stones and steel sheet piles corresponding to the nature of soil in every area. On both sides of the Canal, there are mooring bollards every 125 m for the mooring of vessel in case of emergency, and kilometric sign posts helping locate the position of ships in the waterway. The navigable channel is bordered by light and reflecting buoys as navigational aids to night traffic.

Location and Contacts

Country

Egypt

Province or District

Suez

Town or City (Closest location) with Distance (km)

Suez -7 km

Complete Name

Suez Canal

Latitude

0° 27' 17.99" N

Longitude

32° 20' 59.99" E

Managing Company or Port Authority (If more than one operator, break down by area of operation)

Canal Suez Authority

Management Contact Person

General: Mohab Memesh

Main Objectives of the New Suez Canal project:

  • Achieving a greater proportion of the duplication of the Suez Canal and increase by 50% of the length of the waterway

  • Reducing transit time to be 11 hours instead of 18 hours for the north convoy

  • Reducing waiting time for ships to be 3 hours in the worst conditions, rather than to be (8 to 11 hours), which is reflected on reducing the cost of the voyage of the ship owners and raising the degree of valuation of Suez

  • Contributing to the increased demand for the use of the Canal corridor major global navigation and increase the degree of classification

  • Increasing the capacity of the passage of ships in the channel to meet the expected growth of the volume of world trade in the future.

Contributing to the increased demand for the use of the Canal corridor major global navigation and increase the degree of classification. Increasing the capacity of the passage of ships in the channel to meet the expected growth of the volume of world trade in the future. In addition, the project aims to reduce the value of thought in alternative and competitive channels and also raises the degree of confidence in the willingness of Egypt for the successful development of the Suez Canal Area. As a sustainable development driver, the project will provide direct access to the largest number of job opportunities for young people and the creation of new communities.

Operationally, the project aims to increasing the capacity of the channel to be a record 97 ships in 2023 instead of the 49 ships in 2014, achieving direct transit without interruption for 45 vessels in both directions with the possibility of allowing for the transit vessels up to 66 feet in all parts of the channel, and increase the Suez Canal return of 259% in 2023 to be 13,226 billion dollars, compared to the current returns $ 5.3 billion resulting in a direct positive reflection on the Egyptian national income of hard currency.

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

4.4 Egypt Port and Waterways Companies Contact List

Customs Guidance

1.3 Egypt Customs Information

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