Belgian dredging and marine company DEME has been selected by the Suez Canal authority to dredge a new channel East of Port Said to provide ease of access to the port, according World Maritime News.
The new canal is said to be worth around US$60 million and aims to allow vessels to enter and exit East Port Said.
24-hour access will be given to vessels sailing through the Mediterranean waterway to East Port Said, in comparison to eight hours.
The company said that a total of three dredging contracts will be acquired, totalling more than $160 million.
The project will be carried out with Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, which was involved in the dredging process for the recently inaugurated Suez Canal.
The channel will be 9.5 km long, 250 m wide and 18.5 m deep. Both Congo River and Nile River dredgers will execute the deepening dredging works.
The planned dredging works are aimed at helping along the increase in shipping traffic through the connecting canal via post-panamax ships.
Dredging will take place on the new waterway over the next 7 months.
