Maersk Line Welcomes Suez Canal Expansion

After more than 43,000 workers dug out 242 million cubic meters of soil in only 12 months, the new and enlarged Suez Canal will be declared officially open Thursday 6 August 2015. Thereby, 20150804-Suez-Canal-Soren-Toftone of the world’s most important trade routes – the almost 150 year old waterway between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean – has doubled its capacity. “Suez is a vital connection in the world’s infrastructure and this expansion will both help us, as a heavy user, and support global trade flow,” says Søren Toft, Chief Operating Officer in Maersk Line, who will go to Egypt to attend the Grand Opening.
“The project confirms the Suez Canal Authority commitment to accommodating growth in trade and vessel sizes, an effort we welcome from all our partners and suppliers,” Toft says.
The Suez Canal is the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia. It opened in 1869 and since then the canal has allowed ships to cut some 7,000 km off the distance by avoiding the trip around the south of Africa.
The enlargement of the canal will reduce the southbound transit time from 18 to 11 hours and allow larger vessels to pass through the canal. Furthermore, it will allow up to 97 ships to pass through per day, whereas before it could handle only 49.
“When we sail large vessels such as the Triple-E we have very little room for error. The enlargement of the canal combined with additional training of the Suez Canal pilots will increase navigational safety,” Toft says.
The enlargement of the canal is part of developing the Suez Canal Zone – the area surrounding the canal. The Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) run by APM Terminals is at the north eastern mouth of the canal in Port Said. The managing director, Klaus Holm Laursen, hopes that the development of the zone over time will mean more containers to go through his terminal.“It is a noticeable achievement to do such a large infrastructure project in short time. We hope it sends a strong signal to investors that they can invest in the Suez Canal Zone and that we will see increased economic activity in the area,” Laursen says.
“With our strategic location as last port of call before the European Union, Turkey, the Levant and Black Sea areas, East Port Said offers an ideal location for many industries and distribution centres.”