Egypt opens new Suez Canal | GulfNews.com Egypt opens new Suez Canal Mohammad: New Suez Canal has opened to its people and the region a new hope and a promising future A cargo ship crosses a new waterway at the Suez Canal during its opening ceremony on August 6, 2015. Image Credit: AFP Egyptian air force planes parade during the inauguration ceremony of the new Suez Canal in Ismailia, Aug. 6, 2Image Credit: AP A view of the Suez Canal from Al Salam 'Peace' bridge on the Ismalia desert roadImage Credit: REUTERS Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi stands in boat on the Suez Canal as he attends the celebration of an Image Credit: Reuters Al Sissi (L) talks to Mohab Mameesh, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, as they attend the celebrations.

Image Credit: Reuters Commercial ships pass through the new Suez Canal, which officially opened on Thursday.Image Credit: Agency Egyptians wear Pharaonic costumes as they greet a monarchy-era yacht as it sailed to the venue of a ceremony uImage Credit: AP An Egyptian woman holds a small boat as she and other Egyptian's celebrate the new Suez Canal opening in TImage Credit: AP Al-Sissi with Hollande ride on a cart during the opening ceremony of a new Suez Canal in Ismailiya.

Image Credit: AFP VIPs arrive for the opening ceremony of the new Suez Canal on August 6, 2015 in Ismailiya.Image Credit: AFP A girl carries a national flag while riding in a car as people gather in Tahrir square to celebrate an extensiImage Credit: REUTERS Egyptian military planes perform during a ceremony to unveil a new Suez Canal.Image Credit: AFP A Egyptian soldier stands guard on the bank of the Suez Canal during a ceremony to unveil a new waterway, in tImage Credit: AFP Girls wave national flags as they ride in a car in Tahrir square where people gather to celebrate the opening Image Credit: REUTERS Soldiers on guard before the opening ceremony of the new Suez Canal.Image Credit: REUTERS ‹ › Published: 21:51 August 6, 2015 Compiled by Biju Mathew and Jay Hilotin, News Editors LARGE Al Sissi inaugurates new canal Egypt staged a show of international support on Thursday as it inaugurated a major extension of the Suez Canal which President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi hopes will power an economic turnaround in the Arab world’s most populous country.

The former armed forces chief, who led a military takeover two years ago but ran for president as a civilian last year, told a ceremony attended by leaders of France, Russia, Arab and African states that Egypt would defeat terrorism. The $8-billion New Suez Canal project was completed in just one year instead of three on Al Sissi’s orders. “Work did not take place in normal circumstances, and these circumstances still exist and we are fighting them and we will defeat them,” Al Sissi said after signing an order allowing ships to cross the new stretch of waterway. “Egypt during this year stood against the most dangerous terrorist threat that would burn the world if it could.” The spectacular inauguration was also intended to bolster his international standing in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, French President Francois Hollande, Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev, King Abdullah of Jordan, the emir of Kuwait and the king of Bahrain. US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Cairo on Aug. 2 for a strategic dialogue with Egypt, but no top-level representative of the Obama administration attended the ceremony.

In the presence of @HHShkMohd , Egyptian President El Sisi officially announces the opening of the New Suez Canal pic.twitter.com/zvspE0vISR — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 6, 2015 Pics: @HHShkMohd attending inauguration ceremony and launch of the new Suez Canal in Egypt pic.twitter.com/Pz2S1KTrH8 — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 6, 2015 President Al Sissi arrives at Suez Canal opening ceremony on the iconic ship Al Mahroosah. #مصر_بتفرح pic.twitter.com/BqwURtB18Z — Mohammed Almezel (@Almezel) August 6, 2015 Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi stands in boat on the Suez Canal as he attends the celebration of an extension of the Suez Canal. Reuters UAE congratulates Egypt The UAE delegation accompanying Shaikh Mohammad includes Lt. General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, Dr.

Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, Minister of State, and other senior officials. In a number of tweets, Shaikh Mohammad congratulated the people of Egypt, saying: "I was honoured to join the people of Egypt in their historic celebrations in opening the new Suez Canal. Today, Egypt welcomed the world and the world rejoiced with Egypt." He added: "Just as Egypt had opened to the world via its first Suez Canal new and vast commercial and trade horizons, today, through its second canal, it has opened to its people and the region a new hope and a promising future." In another tweet, the Dubai ruler said: "The accomplishment of the Suez Canal in this very quick pace proves to the world that the Egyptian people do not know the impossible and they do not recognise despair.

Congratulations to the Egyptian people." تشرفت بمشاركة الشعب المصري أفراحه التاريخية بافتتاح قناة السويس الثانية..مصر استقبلت العالم اليوم وفرح معها العالم pic.twitter.com/cgAPNwmffH — HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) August 6, 2015 سيدي الشيخ محمد بن راشد فوق قناة السويس بإتجاه المشاركه في حفل إفتتاح القناة. pic.twitter.com/jvUS6bHmqU — سيف بن زايد آل نهيان (@SaifBZayed) August 6, 2015 Pic: @HHShkMohd attending the opening of the New Suez Canal pic.twitter.com/SJbCE6WTT4 — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 6, 2015 Dr. Al Jaber, who is also the head of the UAE-Egypt Liaison Office, congratulated Egypt’s government and people on the completion of the new Suez Canal.

“We would like to congratulate the leadership, government and people of Egypt for this monumental achievement that has brought into fruition the strategic vision of President of Egypt, Abdul Fattah Al Sissi. His unwavering insistence that this project is finalisd in one year, truly reflects the resilience of the Egyptian people,” he said in a statement. Public holiday The Suez Canal Authority expects a windfall of additional revenue -- $13.23 billion in annual revenue by 2023 from just over $5 billion in 2014, with the number of daily vessels rising from 49 to 97 over the same period. British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon praised the project as a "modern wonder". Thursday was declared a public holiday. Cairo and other cities were decked out in bunting, with fairy lights hung from the Nile river bridges and banners proclaiming "From the mother of the world (Egypt) to the whole world". Tents for the festivities in Esmailia were erected on the east bank of the Canal. A giant statue of a toiling canal worker with shovel in hand looks over the waterway.

A towering statue of the ancient Egyptian Pharaonic goddess Isis with wings splayed looks out over the new channel, behind it fly the flags of the world. Nationalist songs by military brass blared. Newly delivered French Rafale fighters and US F-16 warplanes staged a flypast, while helicopters flew overhead and naval vessels escorted the yacht in the televised ceremony. The government believes the New Suez Canal and an industrial zone to be developed around it will seal Egypt's deliverance from economic distress. The project involved extending a waterway parallel to part of the 19th century canal connecting the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, as well as deepening and widening the old channel -- the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia. Earlier Al Sissi, in full military regalia, sailed up the canal, flanked by a young boy in military fatigues waving the Egyptian flag, aboard the yacht Al Mahrousa, the first ship to pass through the Suez Canal when it was opened in November 1869. The yacht was an ambivalent symbol, since King Farouk, the last monarch to rule Egypt, sailed into exile in Italy aboard it after being ousted by the military in 1952.

The new canal project involved extending a waterway parallel to part of the 19th century canal connecting the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, as well as deepening and widening the old channel - the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia. Egyptian military planes perform during a ceremony on August 6, 2015 to unveil the new Suez Canal, in the port city of Ismailiya. (AFP) The project has been billed as a national accomplishment on par with President Gamal Abdel Nasser's nationalisation of the original Suez Canal in 1956 and building of the Aswan Dam. State television broadcast shots of the new canal to the theme of the popular television series Game of Thrones. In Cairo's Tahrir Square a crowd of about 300 gathered in the square honking horns with the colour of the Egyptian flag. “This isn't just for me, it's for my children and grandchildren. This is for the whole world," said 50-year-old Gamal Amin.

Egypt kicks off ceremony inaugurating Suez canal extension Egypt unveiled a major extension of the Suez Canal that President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi has billed as an historic achievement needed to boost the country's ailing economy after years of unrest. Egyptians wave the national flag in front of a military vehicle to celebrate the Suez Canal opening in Tahrir square, Cairo. AP Al Sissi, wearing his ceremonious military uniform and trademark dark sunglasses, flew to the site aboard a military helicopter and immediately boarded a monarchy-era yacht that sailed to the venue of the ceremony. The yacht was flanked by navy warships as helicopters and fixed wing aircraft flew over. Al Sissi, standing on the vessel’s upper deck, waved to well-wishers and folklore dance troupes performing on shore. For Egypt rulers past and present, Suez a symbol of glory An insecure Egyptian ruler, bullied as a child for his weight, was persuaded that a canal connecting the Mediterranean to the Red Sea would bring him glory - a monument rivalling those of his more illustrious predecessors.

Saeed Pasha, ruler of Egypt and Sudan from 1854 to 1863, never saw the completion of the canal, which opened six years after his death. He is remembered as the man who sold the rights to the waterway to the then-imperialist powers France and Britain. Stay tuned for our Live Coverage of @HHShkMohd 's participation in the opening of the New Suez Canal in Egypt pic.twitter.com/UPzNnfywgv — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 6, 2015 A canal from the Nile river to the Red Sea existed in the times of ancient Egypt, but was lost over the ages. The idea was revived by French Consul Ferdinand de Lesseps, who persuaded Said Pasha to grant him a concession for building a waterway. Obese child Saeed Pasha was an obese child to the severe dismay of his demanding father, the great Mohammad Ali Pasha, who subjected the boy to arduous exercises.

He was befriended by de Lesseps and the consul reportedly sealed the bond with surreptitious plates of spaghetti, according to University of California-LA historian Afaf Lutfi Al Sayyid Marsot. “Though Saeed did become famous it was more for his gullibility in signing an unfavourable concession” that saddled the country, then nominally under Ottoman control, with foreign debt, Marsot has written. The canal, completed by de Lesseps’s Suez Canal Company, opened on November 17, 1869. Thousands of Egyptian workers died digging it. In 1882, partly worried that the nationalist rebel leader Colonel Ahmad Urabi would seize power, defaulting on the country’s debt and taking over the canal, Britain invaded. The British eventually withdrew from Egypt, leaving behind a pliant monarchy, but they continued to control the Suez Canal Company along with France, something that rankled another Egyptian colonel, Jamal Abdul Nasser. Charismatic Nasser Nasser was one of the leaders of a popular military coup that toppled the monarchy in 1952, and swiftly became president of the new republic.

Like every great Egyptian leader, or at least every Egyptian leader who aspired to greatness, he forthwith decided on a monumental project, the Aswan Dam. But the pan-Arabist firebrand could get no foreign funding on his own terms. He increasingly rattled Britain, France and the Israeli regime with his support for Algerian rebels and his bellicosity towards the Israelis. Suez canal revenues were meanwhile filling other countries’ coffers. On July 26, 1956, the charismatic Nasser gave an address to the nation, railing against the United States, Britain and France and what he denounced as a plot to keep his country subjugated. Nasser recounted a meeting with the head of the World Bank, Eugene Black, to secure funding for the dam. “I started looking at Mr Black, as he sat before me on a chair, and I imagined that I was sitting in front of Ferdinand de Lesseps,” Nasser said. The name of the French consul was a codeword to troops to seize the canal. British premier Anthony Eden and French counterpart Guy Mollet were predictably enraged and began contemplating military intervention.

Together with Israeli prime minister David Ben Gurion, Eden and Mollet gathered in a villa outside Paris and hatched a plan. Israel would invade Egypt, and France and Britain would drop troops in a show of intervening, conveniently seizing the Suez Canal in the process. The eeting was detailed in a study by Oxford University historian Avi Shlaim. The operation began in October 1956, and went smoothly enough for the invaders until the United States, in part seeking to avoid a confrontation with the pro-Nasser Soviet Union, led global efforts that forced France, Britain and Israel to withdraw. President to unveil 'new Suez Canal' President Abdul Fattah Al Sisi on Thursday inaugurates a "new" Suez Canal in a lavish and heavily secured ceremony, as Egypt seeks to boost its economy and international standing. The event in the port city of Ismailiya is due to be attended by several heads of state. Pictures: Ships cross Egypt’s New Suez Canal in first test-run Al Sisi broke ground on the canal project last August after being elected president after he promised to strengthen security and revive a dilapidated economy.

Initial estimates suggested the new route would take up to three years to build, but Al Sisi set an ambitious target of 12 months to finish the project. It has been touted as a landmark achievement, rivalling the digging of the original 192-kilometre canal, which opened in 1869 after almost a decade of work. The new section, built at a cost of $9 billion and funded entirely by Egyptian investors, runs part of the way alongside the existing canal connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. History: A look at Egypt's Suez Canal over the years "It's an achievement for the people who managed to fund it as a national project and accomplished it through perseverance and hard work," Al Sisi's office has said. It involved 37 kilometres of dry digging, creating what is effectively a "second lane", and widening and deepening another 35 kilometres of the existing canal. It will cut the waiting period for vessels from 18 hours to 11. By 2023 the number of ships using the canal will increase to 97 per day from 49 now, the government hopes.

Facts about Egypt's 'new Suez canal' The canal, opened in 1869 after almost a decade of work, has been a main revenue earner for Egypt and a 20th century symbol of independence. The pan-Arabist president Jamal Abdul Nasser nationalised the canal in 1956, which was until then run by the British- and French-owned Suez Canal Company, sparking the Suez crisis in which Britain, France and Israel invaded parts of Egypt. The waterway has continued to play a key role in global commerce and is an important route for oil traffic. In 2013, 4.6 per cent of global oil and petroleum products passed through the Suez Canal or the SUMED pipeline that provides an alternative route from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, according to the US Energy Information Agency. In 2007, traffic through the canal amounted to 7.5 per cent of global maritime trade, according to the World Shipping Council. The 72-kilometre long expansion is projected to cut the waiting period for ships from 18 hours to 11 hours and allow two-way passage.

It was built in less than a year for about $9 billion, mostly financed by investment certificates sold to Egyptians. The project consists of 37 kilometres of new, parallel waterway and 35 kilometres of deepening and widening of the existing canal. A maximum 49 ships a day can pass through the canal at present. The Suez Canal Authority says the expansion could almost double the number by 2023. The government hopes the project will more than double revenues from Suez Canal tolls, a key income generator for Egypt, from the $5.3 billion projected for 2015 to $13.2 billion in 2023. Experts say it is not yet clear, however, what impact the improvements to the 192 kilometre waterway will have on world trade. Egyptians celebrate into the early morning hours at Tahrir Square the opening of the new Suez Canal. #مصر_بتفرح pic.twitter.com/vhpgBEbjgS — Mohammed Almezel (@Almezel) August 6, 2015 UAE projects benefit 8m Egyptians The UAE government on Tuesday handed over hundreds of successfully completed projects undertaken by the UAE in Egypt.

The projects in critical sectors-- such as health, education, transport and infrastructure -- are part of a massive UAE development assistance programme pledged a year ago. Egypt inaugurates Suez Canal expansion - CNN.com Egypt inaugurates Suez Canal expansion by Mesrop Najarian, CNN Updated 9:25 AM ET, Fri August 7, 2015 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. JUST WATCHED Egypt prepares to open expanded Suez Canal 02:27 Story highlights Egypt inaugurates major expansion to Suez Canal Egypt says it is a "gift" which "changes the map of the world" Suez Canal links Mediterranean with Red Sea (CNN) Egypt inaugurated a major expansion to the Suez Canal on Thursday. Taking a year to complete and costing over $8 billion, the project widens and deepens part of the canal to increase traffic and revenue. Seventy-two kilometers (45 miles) of new waterways have been added, according to the Suez Canal Authority. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led an opening ceremony which was attended by numerous heads of state, including French President Francois Hollande.

Egyptian officials have announced the expansion as a "gift" which "changes the map of the world." The ceremony invoked both national pride and a global outlook, including remarks by President el-Sisi, a musical performance, and jets flying overhead. Photos: Egypt's Suez Canal: Then and now Photos: Egypt's Suez Canal: Then and now Boats, including a container ship, cross the new waterway of the Suez Canal on July 25, 2015, in the Egyptian port city of Ismailia, east of Cairo. Egypt started the first trial run of its "new Suez canal," officials said, ahead of the new shipping route's formal inauguration on August 6, 2015 -- a year after construction began. Hide Caption 1 of 9 Photos: Egypt's Suez Canal: Then and now A fleet of ships enter the Suez Canal at its inauguration on November 17, 1869. Egypt was the first recorded country to dig a man-made canal across its land for international trade. Connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea via the Nile, the Suez Canal is the shortest route between the east and the west.

Hide Caption 2 of 9 Photos: Egypt's Suez Canal: Then and now A dredger is seen at work on the new waterway of the Suez Canal on June 13, 2015, in the port city of Ismailia, east of Cairo. Dubbed the Suez Canal Axis, the new 72-kilometer project is aimed at speeding up traffic along the existing waterway and boosting revenues for Egypt. 41,000 people have been working since construction began last August, moving a total of half a trillion cubic meters of earth -- equivalent to moving 200 Great Pyramids. Hide Caption Photos: Egypt's Suez Canal: Then and now Workers construct the Suez Canal, circa 1860, stretching some 190-kilometers long. Hide Caption 4 of 9 Photos: Egypt's Suez Canal: Then and now A cargo ship navigates past the Suez Canal Authority Building in Port Said, 180 kilometers northeast of Cairo, on November 24, 2008.

Hide Caption 5 of 9 Photos: Egypt's Suez Canal: Then and now The French Empress Eugenie officially opens the Suez Canal at Port Said in Egypt, on board the imperial yacht 'Aigle,' on November 17, 1869. Hide Caption 6 of 9 Photos: Egypt's Suez Canal: Then and now An aerial view taken on December 31, 2007 shows the southern entrance of the Suez Canal. Hide Caption 7 of 9 Photos: Egypt's Suez Canal: Then and now A 1921 map of the Suez Canal, running south from Port Said on the Mediterranean, through Ismailia and the Great Bitter Lake, to the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea. Hide Caption Egypt holds trial run on second Suez Canal - BBC News BBC News Egypt holds trial run on second Suez Canal 25 July 2015 Image copyright EPA Image caption The exercise was closely monitored by helicopters and naval vessels The first cargo ships have passed through Egypt's second Suez Canal, amid tight security, ahead of the new waterway's official opening next month.

Construction on the new lane, which runs alongside part of the existing canal, started less than a year ago . The 72km (44 mile) route allows two-way traffic and can accommodate larger vessels. Several container ships from around the world successfully navigated it on Saturday as part of a trial run. Helicopters and naval vessels escorted the ships as part of the security operation. The Sinai Peninsula, which borders the canal, is a base for Islamic militants, who have killed hundreds of people since the military overthrew President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Trade boost The original Suez Canal opened almost 150 years ago and links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says the expansion of one of the world's busiest shipping routes will boost trade and increase employment across the country. It currently handles 7% of global sea-borne business, and is one of Egypt's main sources of foreign currency income.

Suez Canal project projected revenue by 2023 (up from $5.3bn) 72km of new channel and bypasses 97 ships a day by 2023 (up from 49) 11-hour southbound transit (down from 18) 12 months to complete project by Aug 2015 Source: Suez Canal Authority AFP Work on the second waterway is estimated to have cost about $8.5bn (£5.4bn) and is being carried out by the army around the clock. It will be formally inaugurated on 6 August - one year after construction started - meeting an ambitious target set out by Mr Sisi. The project has been labelled "a rebirth" for Egypt by the head of the Suez Canal Authority, Adm Mohab Mameesh. Image copyright EPA Image caption Officials say the new waterway will be a symbol of the new Egypt But it does have its critics. Some experts are dubious about the revenue projections and believe the money should have been spent elsewhere. "It's a patriotic project first of all, and that's very difficult to quantify," Cairo-based investment analyst Angus Blair told the BBC.

On Saturday, Adm Mameesh also revealed plans to build another canal near East Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea. It is expected to cost around $60m and will be 9.5km (6 miles) long, Reuters reports. Egypt launches Suez Canal expansion - BBC News BBC News Egypt launches Suez Canal expansion 6 August 2015 Read more about sharing. Close share panel Media captionThe extension to the Suez canal has been proclaimed on billboards in Cairo as "Egypt's miracle and its gift to the world" Egypt has opened a major expansion of the Suez Canal, which deepens the main waterway and provides ships with a 35km (22 mile) channel parallel to it. At the inauguration, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed foreign leaders aboard a historic yacht as helicopters and fighter jets flew by. The expansion aims to increase the traffic handled by the canal. Egypt's government hopes the revenues will revive the economy - but analysts have questioned the projections. They point out that the volume of world trade has not been growing at the pace needed to deliver the sums Egypt hopes to collect.

Egyptians commenting to the international press and on Twitter appear divided over the project, with many asking if the $8.2bn (£5.3bn) spent on the expansion could have been better deployed on improving infrastructure and public services. Image copyright Reuters Image caption The new waterway is expected to boost traffic - and, Egypt hopes, revenues Image copyright AP Image caption Egyptians celebrated the canal's expansion in Cairo, watched by soldiers The expansion will allow for two-way traffic along part of the route, as well as for larger vessels overall. The construction of the new lane began a year ago , on the orders of Mr Sisi. At the inauguration ceremony in the town of Ismailia, the president appeared in military uniform and sunglasses aboard the El-Mahrousa - the yacht that was the first vessel to pass through the canal when it was built in 1869. The former military leader, elected last year as a civilian, welcomed foreign guests including French President Francois Hollande and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Fighter jets and helicopters flew above the ceremony. On the streets of Cairo, banners described the expanded canal as Egypt's "gift to the world".

Pro-government media have hailed the expansion of the canal as a national triumph, and a turning point after years of instability. Image copyright EPA Image caption President Sisi, seen here at the inauguration, personally ordered the canal's expansion Image copyright AFP Image caption Helicopters fly past a sculpture at the newly opened section of the canal Image copyright Reuters Image caption Many stayed out in Cairo on Wednesday night, with Thursday proclaimed a national holiday However, many analysts doubt if the new venture will deliver the anticipated benefits. Ahmed Kamaly, an economist with the American University in Cairo, told Reuters news agency that the Egyptian projections were "wishful thinking". "There was no viability study done, or known of," he was quoted as saying. He added that the immediate benefits from the expansion were more likely to be political than economic, uniting people "around a national project". Takings from Suez could also be hit by an expansion of the Panama Canal, due to be completed next year, which will compete for traffic along the Asia-North America route.

Suez Canal project projected revenue by 2023 (up from $5.3bn) 72km of new channel and bypasses 97 ships a day by 2023 (up from 49) 11-hour southbound transit (down from 18) 12 months to complete project by Aug 2015 Source: Suez Canal Authority AFP Security was tightened for the inauguration ceremony amid fears of attack by militants allied to Islamic State. The militants, based in the Sinai peninsula, have killed hundreds of people since the military overthrew the Islamist government of president Mohammed Morsi in 2013. The original canal currently handles 7% of global sea-borne trade. The waterway connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, providing the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe. Its nationalisation led to a brief war in 1956, pitting Egypt against the UK, France and Israel. Suez Canal: History and Overview - Geography Geography Suez Canal Connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea Egptian Suez Canal Has Been Center of Conflict The guided missile destroyer USS Scott transits the Suez Canal.

Getty Images Suez Canal Construction History Although the Suez Canal wasn't officially completed until 1869, there is a long history of interest in connecting both the Nile River in Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. It is believed that the first canal in the area was constructed between the Nile River delta and the Red Sea in the 13th Century B.C.E. During the 1,000 years following its construction, the original canal was neglected and its use finally stopped in the 8th Century. The first modern attempts to build a canal came in the late 1700s when Napoleon Bonaparte conducted an expedition to Egypt. He believed that building a French controlled canal on the Isthmus of Suez would cause trade problems for the British as they would either have to pay dues to France or continue sending goods over land or around the southern part of Africa. continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge Studies for Napoleon's canal plan began in 1799 but a miscalculation in measurement showed the sea levels between the Mediterranean and the Red Seas as being too different for a canal to be feasible and construction immediately stopped.

The next attempt to build a canal in the area occurred in the mid-1800s when a French diplomat and engineer, Ferdinand de Lesseps, convinced the Egyptian viceroy Said Pasha to support the building of a canal. In 1858, the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company was formed and given the right to begin construction of the canal and operate it for 99 years, after which time, the Egyptian government would take over control of the canal. At its founding, the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company was owned by French and Egyptian interests. Construction of the Suez Canal officially began on April 25, 1859. It opened ten years later on November 17, 1869 at a cost of $100 million. Suez Canal Use and Control Almost immediately after its opening, the Suez Canal had a significant impact on world trade as goods were moved around the world in record time. In 1875, debt forced Egypt to sell its shares in ownership of the Suez Canal to the United Kingdom . However, an international convention in 1888 made the canal available for all ships from any nation to use.

Shortly thereafter, conflicts began to arise over use and control of the Suez Canal. In 1936 for example, the U.K. was given the right to maintain military forces in the Suez Canal Zone and control entry points. In 1954, Egypt and the U.K. signed a seven year contract that resulted in the withdrawal of British forces from the canal area and allowed Egypt to take control of the former British installations. In addition, with the creation of Israel in 1948, the Egyptian government prohibited the use of the canal by ships coming and going from the country. Also in the 1950s, the Egyptian government was working on a way to finance the Aswan High Dam . Initially it had support from the United States and the U.K. but in July 1956, both nations withdrew their support and the Egyptian government seized and nationalized the canal so passage fees could be used to pay for the dam. On October 29 of that same year, Israel invaded Egypt and two days later Britain and France followed on grounds that passage through the canal was to be free. In retaliation, Egypt blocked the canal by intentionally sinking 40 ships.

These events were known as the Suez Crisis. In November 1956, the Suez Crisis ended when the United Nations arranged a truce between the four nations. The Suez Canal then reopened in March 1957 when the sunken ships were removed. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Suez Canal was closed several more times because of conflicts between Egypt and Israel. In 1962, Egypt made its final payments for the canal to its original owners (the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company) and the nation took full control of the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal Today Today, the Suez Canal is operated by the Suez Canal Authority. The canal itself is 101 miles (163 km) long and 984 feet (300 m) wide. It begins at the Mediterranean Sea at Point Said flows through Ismailia in Egypt, and ends at Suez on the Gulf of Suez. It also has a railroad running its entire length parallel to its west bank.

The Suez Canal can accommodate ships with a vertical height (draft) of 62 feet (19 m) or 210,000 deadweight tons. Most of the Suez Canal is not wide enough for two ships to pass side by side. To accommodate this, there is one shipping lane and several passing bays where ships can wait for others to pass. The Suez Canal has no locks because Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea's Gulf of Suez have approximately the same water level. It takes around 11 to 16 hours to pass through the canal and ships must travel at a low speed to prevent erosion of the canal's banks by the ships' waves. Significance of the Suez Canal In addition to dramatically reducing transit time for trade worldwide, the Suez Canal is one of the world's most significant waterways as it supports 8% of the world's shipping traffic and almost 50 ships pass through the canal daily. Because of its narrow width, the canal is also considered a significant geographic chokepoint as it could easily be blocked and disrupt this flow of trade.

Future plans for the Suez Canal include a project to widen and deepen the canal to accommodate the passage of larger and more ships at one time. To read more about the Suez Canal visit the Suez Canal Authority official website. Egypt To Open New Suez Canal On Aug. 6 Egypt to Open New Suez Canal on Aug. 6 By Aiswarya Lakshmi June 14, 2015 Pic: Suez Canal Authority Egypt's new Suez Canal is expected to open in early August in a project President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi sees as a potent symbol of national pride and to boost the country's battered economy, according to a report in Reuters . The president ordered the new waterway to be dug in a single year, saying that the urgency of Egypt's economic situation meant the project could not wait for an originally planned three-year timetable. The army began work 10 months ago on the new canal, built alongside the existing historic waterway at a cost of US$8 billion and part of a multi-billion-dollar project to expand trade along the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia .

The Suez Canal is a vital source of hard currency for Egypt, particularly since a 2011 uprising that scared off tourists and foreign investment. The government aims to more than double annual canal revenues to some $13 billion in less than a decade, although that ambitious goal depends largely on rapid growth in world trade. The canal drew in $5.5 billion in revenues last year; it’s most lucrative since it was first opened in 1869. Called the Suez Canal Axis, the 72-kilometer new project involves a 37-kilometer new waterway and deepening and expansion of the existing 145-year-old Suez Canal along a 35-kilometer stretch. “The digging and dredging works will conclude on July 15. The opening of the New Suez Canal will be on August 6, according to the orders of the Egyptian people and the Egyptian president,” said Mohab Mameesh, the chairman and managing director of the Suez Canal Authority. “Once President El Sisi orders the start of navigation on August 6, ships will be able to go through the canal,” he added.

New Suez Canal to Officially Open in Egypt - Israel News New Suez Canal to Officially Open in Egypt “The waters made it great, the deep set it upon high with its rivers running around its plants, and it sent out its little canals to all the trees of the field.” (Ezekiel 31:4) Port Suez, the southern exit of the Suez Canal. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) Egypt is set to open the new Suez Canal on August 6, only one year after construction began on the project. Egypt hopes that the new canal will revitalize the country’s economy and bring the 150-year-old waterway into the 21st century. A recent test run of the canal was completed on July 25, with numerous boats, including a fully loaded container ship, traveling through the canal that connects the Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. The naval passage was originally opened on November 17, 1869, after ten years of construction. The canal allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia or Eastern Africa without navigating around the entire African continent, cutting approximately 7,000 kilometers off of the sea voyage for trading ships between Europe and Southeast Asia.

Egyptian authorities have declared the passage safe for all types of maritime ships. The new 72 kilometer (45 mile) section of the canal, which will be called the Suez Canal Axis, was built by the Egyptian military and is supposed to reduce the travel time needed to cross the canal as well as boost revenues for Egypt. “We declare that the new Suez Canal is safe for all kinds of vessels. We call on all the international maritime carriers to use the current and the new Suez canal. Your navigation is safe,” said Suez Canal Authority chief Mohab Mameesh during a news conference held in the canal city of Ismailiya in late July. “By reducing the navigation time in the Suez Canal, your food, your medicine and your fuel will arrive faster. It will be Egypt’s gift to the world,” Mameesh said. Work on the canal consisted of 37 kilometers of dry digging and 35 kilometers of broadening and expanding the existing waterway. It is expected to shave off 7 hours from the journey it takes to cross the canal, shortening the trip from 18 hours to 11 hours.

The project took place under very heavy security, as the Sinai peninsula, which borders the canal, has suffered from continuous attacks by Islamist insurgents which have killed hundreds of police officers and soldiers since 2013. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi set an ambitious target by launching the project and setting a completion date for one year. This is the first step in a broader plan to revolutionize the Egyptian trade economy. According to Sisi’s plan, the canal will help develop the surrounding area into an industrial and commercial hub that will contain new ports, and will also be able to provide shipping services. The Suez Canal Axis is part of a national project that is aimed at kickstarting the economy, which has been struggling since the riots which brought about the eventual fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Sisi hopes that the canal will become a source of national pride and that it will create jobs to combat the double-digit unemployment rate from which Egypt currently suffers. By selling shares to domestic investors, the government raised $9 billion for the project.

The expanded canal is expected to more than double the expected annual revenues from $5.3 billion in 2015, to $13.2 billion in just eight years. It is already one of the world’s most heavily utilized shipping lanes and has been a key focus for international trade worldwide. Egyptian authorities hope that the industrial center as well as the shipping lines will eventually make up one-third of the Egyptian economy. Please fill in a valid value for all required fields Please ensure all values are in a proper format. Are you sure you want to leave this form and resume later? You must upload one of the following file types for the selected field: There was an error displaying the form. Please copy and paste the embed code again. Apply Discount Egypt Opens New £6bn Suez Canal Weather Egypt Opens New £6bn Suez Canal The extension has been dubbed "The Great Egyptian Dream" amid hopes it will turn around the country's economy. 01:13, UK, Thursday 06 August 2015 Video: Suez Canal: Prosperity For Egypt? By Sherine Tadros, Sky News Amid much anticipation, pomp and ceremony Egypt's new addition to the Suez Canal has been unveiled.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi signed an order to allow ships to cross the canal and boarded an historic yacht to welcome foreign dignitaries including French President Francois Hollande and Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev. The yacht El Mahrousa was the first ship to pass through the canal when it was first opened in 1869. Image Caption: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi arrives to attend the celebrations The colossal engineering project was been declared a national accomplishment and Egyptian television broadcast pictures of the new canal accompanied by the theme tune to Game of Thrones. The £6bn project, upgrading the Canal by adding a new waterway, has taken just a year to complete. "The Great Egyptian Dream" - as officials have dubbed it - involved building a 21 mile (35km) bypass along the 120 mile (193km) long canal and deepening it so as to allow ships to travel in different directions simultaneously along that stretch. This is the third time since the Canal was built in 1869 that the waterway has been significantly widened to allow for two-way traffic.

The Authority heading the projects predict that the renovations will double the amount of ships per day crossing the canal, increasing the revenue to £8.4bn (it's currently at £3.5bn) by 2023. The Suez Canal is the fastest link between Asia and Europe and accounts for around 7% of global seaborne trade. It's long been a principle source of state revenue for Egypt. Expectations are high and the project has become a source of national pride. It's Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi's solution to the country's economic woes and the loss in revenue from declining tourism and foreign trade. Mr Sisi has promised Egyptians that this is the answer and called the Canal Egypt's gift to the world. But some question whether the billions it took to renovate the Canal could have been better spent elsewhere. "There isn't anything new to be celebrating. There are more important things for Egyptian people that this money could have been used for," said Mahmoud, 24, walking past Cairo's Tahrir Square.

In reality, whether there is an increase in traffic will depend on global trade and demand rather than just the Canal's capacity, Economic analyst and CEO of the Signet Institute, Angus Blair, told Sky News that the Canal will likely bring in extra revenue and help economic recovery. But he thinks more needs to be done to deal with the growing Egyptian population's needs. "I think it would be good to have more infrastructure spending across the country as well, to get people back to work near where they live, so that people can see changes in their environment - not just far away. "But one thing I would say about the Suez Canal is that we can't really put a price on a change in national sentiment." Indeed the country has been engrossed by the opening of the Canal. All around the country there are billboards and countdowns reminding people of the gravity of the day - it's been made a national holiday, public transport will be free and public gardens open to all. You'd be hard pressed to find an Egyptian unaware of the grand opening. Many Egyptians see the Suez Canal project as the start of good things to come after years of turmoil.

But there is no quick fix to Egypt's economic problems and the fear is even if the extra revenue trickles down, it may well take time. In the meantime, Egypt's deep political and social issues will continue to take a toll on its economy. Top Stories Suez Canal opens - Nov 17, 1869 - HISTORY.com Suez Canal opens Publisher A+E Networks The Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean and the Red seas, is inaugurated in an elaborate ceremony attended by French Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. In 1854, Ferdinand de Lesseps, the former French consul to Cairo, secured an agreement with the Ottoman governor of Egypt to build a canal 100 miles across the Isthmus of Suez. An international team of engineers drew up a construction plan, and in 1856 the Suez Canal Company was formed and granted the right to operate the canal for 99 years after completion of the work. Construction began in April 1859, and at first digging was done by hand with picks and shovels wielded by forced laborers. Later, European workers with dredgers and steam shovels arrived.

Labor disputes and a cholera epidemic slowed construction, and the Suez Canal was not completed until 1869–four years behind schedule. On November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was opened to navigation. Ferdinand de Lesseps would later attempt, unsuccessfully, to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. When it opened, the Suez Canal was only 25 feet deep, 72 feet wide at the bottom, and 200 to 300 feet wide at the surface. Consequently, fewer than 500 ships navigated it in its first full year of operation. Major improvements began in 1876, however, and the canal soon grew into the one of the world’s most heavily traveled shipping lanes. In 1875, Great Britain became the largest shareholder in the Suez Canal Company when it bought up the stock of the new Ottoman governor of Egypt. Seven years later, in 1882, Britain invaded Egypt, beginning a long occupation of the country. The Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936 made Egypt virtually independent, but Britain reserved rights for the protection of the canal.

After World War II, Egypt pressed for evacuation of British troops from the Suez Canal Zone, and in July 1956 Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal, hoping to charge tolls that would pay for construction of a massive dam on the Nile River. In response, Israel invaded in late October, and British and French troops landed in early November, occupying the canal zone. Under pressure from the United Nations, Britain and France withdrew in December, and Israeli forces departed in March 1957. That month, Egypt took control of the canal and reopened it to commercial shipping. Ten years later, Egypt shut down the canal again following the Six Day War and Israel’s occupation of the Sinai Peninsula. For the next eight years, the Suez Canal, which separates the Sinai from the rest of Egypt, existed as the front line between the Egyptian and Israeli armies. In 1975, Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat reopened the Suez Canal as a gesture of peace after talks with Israel. Today, an average of 50 ships navigate the canal daily, carrying more than 300 million tons of goods a year. Related Videos

Question: What canal opened in Egypt?
Answer: Suez Canal