SUEZ CANAL

April 14, 2023


Sunny, 75 deg F


Beautiful day to cruise through the Suez Canal.  Ship entered the canal around 5AM and we got to Explorer’s lounge around 6AM to ooh and aah with a bunch of fellow travelers.  Main Egypt on our left and Sinai Egypt on our right.   We spent most of the day seeing the sights as we passed through.  A terrific experience!


The Suez Canal, constructed primarily by the French (who learned how to dig in the desert sand from the Germans), was completed in 1859.   Including the lakes in the middle, it is about 120 miles long and takes about 10 hours to traverse.   The first third of the canal is one way so they batch vessels going north then going south.  Between the Mediterranean and Lake Bitters there are now 2 canals which allow 2-way traffic for that portion.   In 2021 some 1.27 billion tons of cargo shipped through the canal earning $6.3 billion in transit fees.   (Not sure how they figure the tonnage of our cruise ship - we do have some fatties aboard).


We passed another brand new city of multistory apartments on the Sinai side of the canal.  Once completed it will be able to house about 250,000 people.  The city stretches for about 7 or 8 miles--no sign of life there yet.    Really interesting because, except for the canal, this is very desolate desert country. 

                                          Map of Suez Canal.  We entered from the Red Sea lower left 

                                          and exited into the Mediterranean at Port Said.

From bow of the ship near the entrance to the canal.  This is close to where the giant cargo ship Ever Given ran aground and blocked the canal for 6 days in 2021.

  

                  Cargo ships following us


Pontoons to be used in a military emergency to create a bridge from main Egypt into the Sinai.


                 Ships anchored in Lake Bitters waiting to enter the southern end of the canal.


                    Another bridge that the Egyptian military can use by swinging it across the canal.  

 

 This bridge for trains has a sister on the other side of the canal.  Both would be swung and 

 connected in the middle.  


Housing for new city in the Sinai.   Apartment complex extend for at least 7 miles and expected to house about 250,000 people.


   The one bridge in place that crosses the canal near Port Said.  It's called the Friendship Bridge given to       Egypt by Japan


              We made it!  From the bow of our ship - Mediterranean dead ahead


                Port Said in the distance looking across both northbound and southbound canals
A  few other ships in the vicinity





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