Editing Suez Canal (section)

== Layout and operation ==
{{Suez Canal map}}

When built, the canal was {{cvt|164|km}} long and {{cvt|8|m|ft}} deep. After several enlargements, it is {{cvt|193.30|km|frac=8}} long, {{cvt|24|m}} deep and {{cvt|205|m}} wide.<ref name="Characteristics">{{cite web|url=http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/sc.aspx?show=12|title=Canal Characteristics|publisher=Suez Canal Authority|year=2010|access-date=2 April 2010|archive-date=22 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322013305/http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/sc.aspx?show=12|url-status=live}}</ref> It consists of the northern access [[channel (geography)|channel]] of {{cvt|22|km}}, the canal itself of {{cvt|162.25|km|frac=8}} and the southern access channel of {{cvt|9|km|frac=2}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Land&people/SCanal/031300000000000002.htm |title=Characteristics of the canal |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309011030/http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Land%26people/SCanal/031300000000000002.htm |archive-date=9 March 2009 }}</ref>

The so-called [[New Suez Canal]], functional since 6 August 2015,<ref>{{cite web|title=Navigation Circular "The New Suez Canal" No 5/2015|url=http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/showNc.aspx?id=105|publisher=Suez Canal Authority|access-date=15 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821233723/http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/showNc.aspx?id=105|archive-date=21 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> currently has a new parallel canal in the middle part, with its length over {{convert|35|km|0}}. The current parameters of the Suez Canal, including both individual canals of the parallel section are: depth {{cvt|23|to|24|m|0}} and width at least {{cvt|205|to|225|m|0}} (that width measured at {{cvt|11|m|0}} of depth).<ref>{{cite web|title='Attached Charts' to Navigation Circular 'The New Suez Canal' No 5/2015 |url=http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/Files/Circular/Suez%20Canal%20Cross%20Section.pdf |publisher=Suez Canal Authority|access-date=15 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824031507/http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/Files/Circular/Suez%20Canal%20Cross%20Section.pdf|archive-date=24 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Capacity ===
The canal allows passage of ships up to {{cvt|20|m}} [[draft (hull)|draft]] or 240,000 [[deadweight ton]]s and up to a height of {{cvt|68|m}} above water level and a maximum [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{cvt|77.5|m|0}} under certain conditions.<ref name="suezcanal.gov.eg">Suez Canal Authority http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140613040705/http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/ |date=13 June 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Characteristics"/> The canal can handle more traffic and larger ships than the [[Panama Canal]], as [[Suezmax]] dimensions are greater than both [[Panamax]] and [[New Panamax]]. Some supertankers are too large to traverse the canal. Others can offload part of their cargo onto a canal-owned ship to reduce their draft, transit, and reload at the other end of the canal. On 15 April 2021 Egyptian authorities announced that they would widen the southern section of the Suez Canal to improve the efficiency of the canal. The plan mainly covers about {{Convert|30|km}} from Suez to the Great Bitter Lake. It will be widened by {{Convert|40|m}} and the maximum depth will be increased from about {{Convert|20|m}} to about {{Convert|22|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsupd.com/2021/05/12/egypt-announced-the-widening-of-the-suez-canal-expected-to-be-completed-within-two-years/|title=Egypt announced the widening of the Suez Canal, expected to be completed within two years – News Update|date=12 May 2021|access-date=12 May 2021|archive-date=12 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512231050/https://newsupd.com/2021/05/12/egypt-announced-the-widening-of-the-suez-canal-expected-to-be-completed-within-two-years/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Navigation ===
Ships approaching the canal from the sea are expected to radio the harbour when they are within {{convert|15|nmi|km|abbr=off}} of the [[Safe water mark|Fairway Buoy]] near Port Said.<ref>Suez Canal Authority. Arab Republic of Egypt. Ashraf Ragab. (August 2015). Navigation in Suez Canal Rules of Navigation and Passage Procedures in Suez Canal. p. 9. [https://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/English/Navigation/Pages/RulesOfNavigation.aspx Suez Canal Authority website] Retrieved 27 March 2021.</ref> The canal has no [[canal lock|locks]] because of the flat terrain, and the minor sea level difference between each end is inconsequential for shipping. As the canal has no sea surge gates, the ports at the ends would be subject to the sudden impact of [[tsunami]]s from the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea, according to a 2012 article in the ''Journal of Coastal Research''.<ref name="FinklPelinovsky2012">{{cite journal|last1=Finkl|first1=Charles W.|last2=Pelinovsky|first2=Efim|last3=Cathcart|first3=Richard B.|title=A Review of Potential Tsunami Impacts to the Suez Canal|journal=Journal of Coastal Research|volume=283|issue=4|year=2012|pages=745–759|issn=0749-0208|doi=10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-12A-00002.1|bibcode=2012EGUGA..14...76F|s2cid=54644781}}</ref>

There is one shipping lane with passing areas in Ballah-Bypass near [[El Qantara]] and in the Great Bitter Lake. On a typical day, three convoys transit the canal, two southbound and one northbound. The passage takes between 11 and 16 hours at a speed of around {{convert|8|kn|kph mph|0}}. The low speed helps prevent erosion of the banks by ships' [[Wake (physics)|wakes]].

By 1955, about two-thirds of Europe's oil passed through the canal. Around 8% of world sea trade is carried via the canal. In 2008, 21,415 vessels passed through the canal and the receipts totalled $5.381 billion,<ref name="suezcanal.gov.eg"/> with an average cost per ship of $251,000.

New Rules of Navigation came into force on 1 January 2008, passed by the board of directors of the [[Suez Canal Authority]] (SCA) to organise vessels' transit. The most important amendments include allowing vessels with {{convert|62|ft|m|order=flip|adj=on}} draught to pass, increasing the allowed breadth from {{convert|32|to|40|m|ft}} (following improvement operations), and imposing a fine on vessels using pilots from outside the SCA inside the canal boundaries without permission. The amendments allow vessels loaded with dangerous cargo (such as radioactive or flammable materials) to pass if they conform with the latest amendments provided by international conventions.

The SCA has the right to determine the number of [[Tugboat|tugs]] required to assist warships traversing the canal, to achieve the highest degree of safety during transit.<ref>SC News</ref>

<gallery widths="200" heights="115">
File:SuezCanal ElBallah.JPG|Ships moored at El Ballah during transit
File:USS America (CV-66) in the Suez canal 1981.jpg|{{USS|America|CV-66}}, an American aircraft carrier in the Suez Canal
File:SuezCanal4 byDanielCsorfoly.JPG|Container ship ''Hanjin Kaohsiung'' transiting the Suez Canal
</gallery>

=== Operation ===
Before August 2015, the canal was too narrow for free two-way traffic, so ships had to pass in convoys and use bypasses. The bypasses were {{cvt|78|km|0}} out of {{cvt|193|km|0}} (40%). From north to south, they are Port Said bypass (entrances) {{cvt|36.5|km|0}}, Ballah bypass & anchorage {{cvt|9|km|0}}, Timsah bypass {{cvt|5|km|0}}, and the Deversoir bypass (northern end of the Great Bitter Lake) {{convert|27.5|km|0}}. The bypasses were completed in 1980.

Typically, it would take a ship 12 to 16 hours to transit the canal. The canal's 24-hour capacity was about 76 standard ships.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emdb.gov.eg/suezcanal/traffic.aspx|title=Traffic system|access-date=8 February 2013|publisher=Egyptian Maritime Data Bank (EMDB)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323104619/http://www.emdb.gov.eg/suezcanal/traffic.aspx|archive-date=23 March 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In August 2014, Egypt chose a consortium that includes the Egyptian army and global engineering firm [[Dar Al-Handasah]] to develop an international industrial and logistics hub in the Suez Canal area,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN0G30HY20140803|title=Egypt awards Suez hub project to consortium that includes army: sources|first=Stephen Kalin and Yasmine|last=Saleh|newspaper=Reuters|date=3 August 2014|access-date=7 August 2014|archive-date=8 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808033657/http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN0G30HY20140803|url-status=dead}}</ref> and began the construction of a new canal section from {{cvt|60|to|95|km}} combined with expansion and deep digging of the other {{cvt|37|km}} of the canal.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/sc.aspx?show=69 |title=New Suez Canal |access-date=13 June 2015 |archive-date=19 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119082131/http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/sc.aspx?show=69 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This will allow navigation in both directions simultaneously in the {{convert|72|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} central section of the canal. These extensions were formally opened on 6 August 2015 by President Al-Sisi.<ref name="SuezExpansion"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/05/egypt-build-new-suez-canal|title=Egypt to build new Suez canal|first=Patrick|last=Kingsley|date=5 August 2014|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=16 December 2016|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224142234/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/05/egypt-build-new-suez-canal|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-33800076 |title=Egypt launches Suez Canal expansion |work=[[BBC News]] |date=6 August 2015 |access-date=7 August 2015 |archive-date=6 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806213645/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-33800076 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Capesize bulk carrier at Suez Canal Bridge.JPG|Post-deepening, a [[capesize]] [[bulk carrier]] approaches the [[Suez Canal Bridge|Friendship Bridge]]
File:Bittersee Suezkanal.jpg|Northbound convoy waits in the [[Great Bitter Lake]] as southbound convoy passes, October 2014
</gallery>

=== Convoy sailing ===
Since the canal does not cater to unregulated two-way traffic, all ships transit in convoys on regular times, scheduled on a 24-hour basis. Each day, a single northbound convoy starts at 04:00 EET from Suez. At dual lane sections, the convoy uses the eastern route. Synchronised with this convoy's passage is the southbound convoy. It starts at 03:30 EET from Port Said and so passes the Northbound convoy in the two-lane section.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/sc.aspx?show=13|title=Traffic system|access-date=8 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729220823/http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/sc.aspx?show=13|archive-date=29 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Suez Canal Convoy System and passage |url=https://www.eastmedegypt.com/convoy.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.eastmedegypt.com}}</ref>

=== Canal crossings ===
[[File:Suez canal english.jpg|thumb|upright|The canal in 2015]]

From north to south, the crossings are:
* The El Nasr pontoon bridge ({{coord|31.2285|N| 32.3042|E}}), connecting Port Said to Port Fuad. Opened in 2016, {{cvt|420|m|ft}} length.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.veristar.com/rest/jcr/repository/collaboration/sites/veristarinfo/web%20contents/bv-content/services/servicesByActivity/Inland_Services/INLAND_NEWS/INLAND_News_Home/documents/NewsN35.pdf |title=BV classes EL-NASR floating bridge across Suez Canal |website=Inland Navigation newsletter – 35 |publisher=Bureau Veritas}}</ref>
* The Abanoub Gerges pontoon bridge ({{coord|30.8436|N|32.3168|E}}), {{cvt|1|mi|km|round=0.5|order=flip}} north of the Suez Canal Bridge
* The [[Suez Canal Bridge]] ({{coord|30.828248|N|32.317572|E|region:EG_type:landmark|name=Suez Canal Bridge}}), also called the Egyptian-Japanese Friendship Bridge, a high-level road bridge at [[El Qantara]]. In [[Arabic]], ''al qantara'' means "arch". Opened in 2001, it has a {{convert|70|m|adj=on}} clearance over the canal and was built with assistance from the Japanese government and by [[Kajima]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kajima.co.jp/english/prof/overview/history_08.html |title=Kajima History |publisher=[[Kajima]] |access-date=23 March 2014 |archive-date=23 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323151451/http://www.kajima.co.jp/english/prof/overview/history_08.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[El Ferdan Railway Bridge]] ({{Coord|30.657|N|32.334|E|source:dewiki|name=El Ferdan Railway Bridge}}) {{cvt|20|km}} north of [[Ismailia]] ({{Coord|30|35|N|32|16|E|name=Ismailia}}) was completed in 2001 and is the longest [[swing bridge|swing-span bridge]] in the world, with a span of 340&nbsp;m (1100&nbsp;ft). The previous bridge was destroyed in 1967 during the Arab-Israeli conflict. The current bridge is no longer functional due to the expansion of the Suez Canal, as the parallel shipping lane completed in 2015 just east of the bridge lacks a structure spanning it. However, plans surfaced in 2017 to build a new bridge spanning the parallel canal and converting the old single track railway on the Ferdan to a double track, which as of October 2023, were near completion.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-27 |title=النقل تعيد كوبرى الفردان للحياة وإنشاء كوبرى جديد على قناة السويس الجديدة.. صور |url=https://www.youm7.com/story/2023/9/27/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D9%83%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A5%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%83%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%89-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%82%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A9/6317366 |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=اليوم السابع |language=ar}}</ref>
* The [[Ahmed Mansi|Ahmed el-Mansy]] pontoon bridge ({{coord|30.6054|N|32.3254|E}}), a pair of pontoons bridging both channels
* The Taha Zaki Abdullah pontoon bridge ({{coord|30.4729|N|32.3502|E}}), a pair of pontoons bridging both channels
* Pipelines taking fresh water under the canal to [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]], about {{cvt|57|km}} north of Suez, at {{Coord|30|27.3|N|32|21.0|E|name=Fresh-water pipelines}}.
* [[Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel]] ({{coord|30|5|9|N|32|34|32|E|source:svwiki_region:EG_type:landmark|name=Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel}}) south of the Great Bitter Lake ({{Coord|30|20|N|32|23|E|region:EG_type:waterbody|name=Great Bitter Lake}}) was built in 1983. Because of leakage problems, a new water-tight tunnel<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kajima.co.jp/topics/perspect/vol_15_3/salt/ |title=Salt-Corroded Tunnel Undergoes Major Renovation |publisher=Kajima.co.jp |access-date=24 August 2011 |archive-date=24 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724225420/http://www.kajima.co.jp/topics/perspect/vol_15_3/salt/ |url-status=live }}</ref> was built inside the old one from 1992 to 1995.
* The Ahmed Omar Shabrawy pontoon bridge ({{coord|30.0453|N|32.5744|E}})
* The [[Suez Canal overhead powerline crossing]] ({{coord|29.996|N|32.583|E|source:dewiki|name=Suez Canal overhead powerline crossing}}) was built in 1999.

A railway on the west bank runs parallel to the canal for its entire length.

The five pontoon bridges were opened between 2016 and 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=President Al Sisi inaugurated mega development projects in Central Sinai and Ismailia{{!}} The Arab Contractors |url=https://arabcont.com/english/Release-2019-1371 |website=arabcont.com}}</ref> They are designed to be movable, and can be completely rotated against the banks of the canal to allow shipping through, or else individual sections can be moved to create a narrower channel.

Six new tunnels for cars and trains are also planned across the canal.<ref name=tunnels>{{cite news|url=http://tunnelbuilder.com/News/Six-tunnels-under-Suez-Canal-.aspx|title=Six tunnels under Suez Canal|work=Tunnelbuilder|date=1 December 2014|access-date=6 August 2015|archive-date=2 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150802015704/http://tunnelbuilder.com/News/Six-tunnels-under-Suez-Canal-.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Currently the [[Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel|Ahmed Hamdi]] is the only tunnel connecting [[Suez]] to the Sinai.