Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Osama Rabie checks on a dredge on the Suez Canal, Egypt, on April 9, 2021. Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced on Friday the arrival of a giant dredge, the largest in the Middle East. (Suez Canal Authority/Handout via Xinhua)
CAIRO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced on Friday the arrival of a giant dredge, the largest in the Middle East.
"After finishing all the naval experiments, the 48,000-ton, 216.7-meter-long, 43-meter-wide dredge, which is dubbed Mohab Mamish, has joined the SCA fleet today," Chairman of the SCA Osama Rabie said in a statement.
The SCA has signed a 300-million-euro contract with the Dutch company IHC to build two dredges and a digger that could work all day long in all types of sand, and rocky and muddy soil.
A team from the IHC will attend the operation tests of the new dredge, he added.
Purchasing the dredgers is part of the SCA's plan by 2026, which also includes developing the maritime fleet, tugboats, and boats used for transport guide.
Another giant dredge called "Hussein Tantawy" is expected to arrive in August, according to Rabie.
On Wednesday, Rabie said 85 ships crossed the waterway carrying 6.1 million tons, the heaviest load since the Suez Canal opened for navigation in 1869.
The traffic in Suez Canal resumed on March 29 as the massive container ship Ever Given was successfully refloated after stranding for almost a week. Enditem
