|
Historical outline |
|
The Suez Canal is considered to be the shortest link between the east and the west
due to its unique geographic location; it is an important international navigation
canal linking between the Mediterranean sea at Port said and the red sea at Suez.
The idea of linking the Mediterranean sea with the red sea by a canal dates back
to 40 centuries as it was pointed out through history starting by the pharaohs era
passing by the Islamic era until it was dredged reaching its current condition today.
|
 |
|
It is considered to be the first artificial canal to be used in Travel and Trade.
The Whole Idea of establishing a canal linking between the red sea and the Mediterranean
dates back to the oldest times, as Egypt dredged the firs artificial canal on the
planet’s surface. The pharaohs dredged a canal link in between river Nile and the
red sea. This canal ran a while and then stopped until Muslims conquered Egypt under
the leader ship of Amr-Ebn-El-Aas complying with the orders of Omar Ebn El Khattab.
When the Portuguese discovered Ras El Raga El Saleh at the beginning of the 16th
century the world trade movement changed making Egypt and Alexandria not considered
the heart of it anymore.
|
|
After that it was Francis Delicips the one with the idea of re-dredging the Canal
in (25 April, 1859) and was formally opened during the ruling of El Khedive Ismael
(17 November, 1869) in a major celebration which was attended by most of Europe’s
kings and Princes and the license period was 99 years from the date of opening of
the canal and then it becomes after that a property of the Egyptian Government,
and the French owned most of its stock.
|
|
|
After July 1952 Revolution, president Gamal Abd El Naser publicized the canal in
announcement in (26 July, 1956) making the management of the canal a 100% Egyptian,
which enraged the major countries leading to the Triad assault on Egypt in (29 October,
1956) which caused to the closing of the canal and it was reopened in (march 1957)
and after that it was closed again ( 1976) due to the ships laying in the bottom
of the canal and was not reopened again until (June 1975).
|
|
|
Stages of developing the Suez Canal |
|
The dredging of the canal took almost 10 years using Egyptian labor, and it was
opened for navigation for the first time in 17 November, 1869. Its depth was about
8 meters, its water are was 304 m2 and the largest ship load that can pass through
was 5000 tons, which was typical for ships sizes in these days. As the ships developed
and increased its sizes, the canal needed to be developed, which happened when it
was still a foreign joint venture before being publicized to take ships with depth
of 35 feet and its water area to be 1100 m2 by the end of 1956 and when the canal
was publicized by the Egyptian government on the 26th of July, 1956. The Egyptian
administration was keen to develop the
|
|
Navigation canal even more on different stages |
|
In May 1962, the water area of the canal was to reach 1800 m2 and the allowed depth
to 38 feet. In June 1966, a development was to be executed on 2 stages as it was
announced the depth would reach 48 and 58 feet consecutively. This program was started
in February 1962, but was soon halted due to the war that erupted on the 5th of
June, 1967. It was reopened for international; navigation in June 1975 after purifying
it from the ships that sank in its bottom during in the 1962 and 1973 wars with
the same water area and depth before it was closed. The development projects then
started by the Egyptian administration in order to receive ships of a 210,000 tons
load, specially after increasing the water are to 4800 m2 and a depth of 62 feet
, with a length of 190.25 km, in addition to the redesign of the canal's turns so
that each one has a half radius of at least 5000 m and also dredging a new verge
starting from the 17th km south of port said heading directly to the Mediterranean
east of port Fouad to allow the loaded ships going north to go to the sea without
passing through port said port. The Suez canal is distinguished by its stable level
of water which varies very slightly having the highs tide reaching 50 cm in the
north while reaching up to 2 m in the south.
|
|
Vice Admiral/Ahmed Fadel has assured head of the Suez Canal port authority, the
depth will reach 66 feet by 2006 pointing out that this stage will enable all container
vessels; about 17,000 container vessels; as well as taking all bulk vessels world
wide. His Excellency also pointed that the Canal will be able to take in about 99
% of all methods used in world maritime transport after reaching a depth of 72 feet
in 2012, as well as taking about 99% of he dead weight tons for the bulk vessels
82% of the petroleum tanks and a 100% of all the remaining types of ships used in
maritime transport; specially container vessels with all its future generations;
in addition to empty vessels reaching up to 560 thousand tons.
|
|