Revised convoy movement during Suez Canal dredging work

WITH the expanded Suez Canal opening August 6, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is reorganising its convoy system to accommodate dredging to be concluded by July 15, reports Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS).

ISS said says that during the dredging period only one convoy is allowed inside the Suez Canal, and a convoy will not enter the canal until another convoy exits. 

Convoy timings are being decided by the SCA on a daily basis and the authority is currently operating only one convoy from the north and one from the south daily.

The new Suez Canal measures from 60 kilometres in length to 95 kilometres in length, while the project also involves deepening and widening the Great Bitter Lakes and Ballah bypass to a total length of 37 kilometres.

On completion the new Suez Canal will create a new parallel waterway to the existing one, increasing the doubled parts of the Suez Canal by 50 per cent. 

The SCA has also advised that the new channel will accommodate vessels with up to a 24-metre draught and is widening the existing western bypasses to 317 metres.

Other project objectives detailed by the SCA for the new Suez Canal include shortening the transit time from 18 hours to 11 hours for southbound convoys.

This minimises waiting time for vessels to three hours instead of eight to eleven hours, increasing the daily average of transiting vessels to 97 ships from 49 by 2023 and achieving direct unstopped transmit for 45 ships in both directions.