The Suez Canal Authority is thinking about expanding the canal's width after the Ever Given container ship incident, but sees no need to deepen the canal bed, administration head Osama Rabie told CNN Arabic on Friday.
"We are exploring the option of expanding the Suez Canal after the Ever Given incident, but there is no need to deepen the channel," Rabie said, adding that at the moment its depth was up to 24 meters (78 feet).
According to the latest data provided by the channel operator Leth Agencies, 357 vessels have passed through the channel since March 29, when it was unblocked, and another 206 ships are waiting for passage. Earlier, Rabie outlined the intention of the channel authority to supply its technical services with more powerful tugs and dredging vessels to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future.
The 224,000-tonne Ever Given container vessel ran aground in the Suez Canal on March 23, blocking traffic along the waterway for six days.
