66% of water-saturated sand in new Suez Canal removed

New Suez Canal workers have managed to remove so far 66 percent of water-saturated sand in the project area using 39 dredgers, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority Mohab Mamish said.

Work in the new Suez Canal is in full swing to open the waterway on August 6, he said in statements Thursday, noting that the progress realized so far in the project is a miracle.

He added that the inauguration of the new canal will up national income, secure about one million jobs and save transition time of north and south-bound convoys from 11 hours to 18.

After its opening, the new canal would be the most important waterway in the world as 97 vessels are expected to transit the canal in 2023 compared with 49 in 2014 with anticipated revenues of USD 13.2 billion instead of USD 5.3 billion.