Suez Canal in Shipping Safety Scheme

In a bid to tackle the growing number of threats to the safety of ships that transit the Suez Canal, a new police department has been set up in the region.

The decision comes after an attack on an Egyptian Navy patrol boat near the Suez Canal.

Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim will be a key decision-maker in managing the new department.

The initiative aims to ensure that the canal, the main source of its revenue, remains safe as it invests further in its extension.

PTI previously reported that the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi had invited Russian investors to spend big money on the Suez Canal in an effort to boost its development.

The New Suez Canal will partially run in parallel to the current waterway and entail widening and deepening the existing parts.

Dredging works on the extension are already underway, according to World Maritime News.

The canal revenues in 2014 reached around US$5.45 billion, an increase of 6.8% compared to 2013.

(Source: JOC)