EXCLUSIVE: Dredging of Suez Canal southern sector nears end

Around 88 percent of dredging work to expand and deepen the southern sector of the Suez Canal has been completed, said Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Osama Rabie.

The Chairman revealed this information yesterday, after his inspection tour.

According to Rabie, the dredging operations are in full swing to develop the waterway from the canal’s 132-kilometer mark to the 162-kilometer mark, extending from the Bitter Lakes to the exit of the canal.

Also, dredging is underway to extend a second lane at the canal from the 122-kilometer mark to the 132-kilometer mark to allow two-way traffic in the southern section of the waterway.

So far, the dredging crews removed 16 million cubic meters of water-saturated sand from these areas.

During his visit, Rabie toured the giant dredging vessels involved in the project – the cutter suction dredgers (CSDs) Hussein Tantawy, Al Seddiek and Mohab Mameesh.