EXCLUSIVE: SCA completes trial run of new Suez Canal extension

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said that they have successfully tested a new 10 km stretch near the southern end of the Canal.

During a trial run, two vessels passed through a new route of the canal’s two-way section without incident.

According to SCA, the latest expansion extends the total length of the canal’s two-way section to 82 km from a previous 72 km. The canal is 193 km long in total.

“This expansion will boost the canal’s capacity by an additional 6 to 8 ships daily and enhance its ability to handle potential emergencies,” SCA said.

Following the 2021 grounding of the container vessel Ever Given that blocked the vital waterway for 6 days, Egypt accelerated plans to extend the second channel in the southern reaches of the canal and widen the existing channel.