World’s biggest container carrier Maersk Line recently posted a 3-minute timelapse of the 6,600 TEU Adrian Maersk passing through the recently opened New Suez Canal.
The New Suez Canal was inaugurated by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in a ceremony held at the port city of Ismailiya on August 6.
The USD 8 billion project, which took 11 months to complete, included the widening and deepening of 35 kilometers of the existing Canal up to a depth of 24 meters, as well as digging and creating 37 kilometers of the so-called ”second lane,” running parallel to the existing Canal.
Egypt expects that up to 20,000 ships will transit the route on a yearly basis. The new stretch of the Canal is also projected to cut transit times from 20 to about 11 hours.
The Suez Canal accounts for roughly 7.5% of world sea trade and container vessels account for over 50% of the canal’s tonnage passage, according to Maersk Line.
The world’s largest container line says that with more than 1,400 transits in 2014, the company contributes with 20% of the container transits, and virtually all Maersk Line’s Asia-Europe cargo goes through the Canal.
”The extension will enable larger vessels to transit, benefitting not only the shipping companies, but also our partners and world trade as a whole,” said C laus V. Hemmingsen, Maersk Group representative, who participated in the official opening of the Suez Canal along with COO of Maersk Line, Søren Toft.