Suez Canal

[John Albert Evans]

I have just read that Egypt has today started to build a second Suez Canal running alongside the present one, cost about 4 billion pounds and 5 years to complete.
Good luck to them I say.

John Albert Evans.

[Doc Vernon]

Yes a massive project it will be,but think it had to be done to accommodate all the Larger Ships that now will be able to pass through! Saving a lot of time for those Ships that have to still travel around Africa!

Cheers

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0G50OH20140805

[Richard Quartermaine]

You'll need binoculars to see what the bumboats are offering in the distance below.
Richard

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi All.
After seeing all those giant machines that operate at the mine sites in Aus I suppose it will be an easier job than employing shovel hands like the last one.
Cheers Des

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[happy daze john in oz]

You are right there Des, som eof those machines could shift some of the ships that will use the canal I think. But it is maybe cheaper to build a new one rather than enlarge the current one.

[John Arton]

There could be some people further south than Suez rubbing their hands in glee at the thought of a 2nd Suez Canal and the subsequent in crease in shipping as all that traffic with have to transit the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden where nasty men with guns like to pay you a visit.
rgds
JA

[Captain Kong]

Last time I went through Suez was in 2009..
The photos below show what it was like then, it was a lot wider than the previous time I went through in the 70s. and deeper.
The other photo of a tanker is the ESSO DALRIADA, 286,000 dwt.
We would load in the Gulf ports and run up the Red Sea to AIN SUHKNA just south of Suez, Discharge at an SBM to shore and then the oil is pumped through the SUMED Line to the Med just outside Alexandria to a terminal there and then another tanker takes it into europe.
That saves a long voyage around the Cape thus by-passing the Suez Canal.
Cheers
Brian

[Jim Brady]

Here is another interesting article on the subject.
Regards.
Jim.B.
http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tren...a-US-shipments

[j.sabourn]

If a western country tried to build now am sure it would cost a lot more than 4 billion pounds, seems awful cheap to me, must be going to use local labour for the heavy work. Will soon recuperate any outlay I am sure. Will keep many citizens employed for a few years to come, and be a huge benefit to the country re. foreign earnings. Best of luck to them. JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

From what I've gleaned, the second canal is so that they can operate a two way system, as each canal will be dedicated to one way traffic, avoiding anchoring and a convoy system, thus expediting transits in both directions, each canal will have the same dimensions and depths at the completion of the second canal, seems logical to me