A major expansion to one of the world’s greatest man made sea routes – the Suez Canal – is ready to be opened in Egypt.
A new 35 kilometre long canal has been dug parallel to the original waterway. This will allow two-way traffic on the canal for the first time.
The new canal took a year to build, and has cost $12 billion. The Egyptian government have called the achievement the “rebirth of Egypt”. They hope that it will double the number of ships using the waterway and encourage more global trade.
The original waterway opened in 1869 and links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea.
It is the fastest shipping route between Asia and Europe at just over 190 kilometres in length. 8 percent of the world’s sea trade use this route when travelling.
