Suez Canal Authority Chief Mohab Mamish said the new Suez Canal Authority is set to open on 5 August.
“I’m determined to make it on 6 August, which marks my birthday and my daughter’s as well,” Mamish said on Sunday in an interview on CBC TV. “On the opening day, I’ll feel the greatness of Egypt and its people. Egypt needs us. Believe me, the coming days are more beautiful than the previous ones.”
Regarding reducing the implementation period from three years to one year and its impact on efficiency of the project, Mamish said, “Absolutely not, because people who work there understand what they are doing.”
He added that 50 companies are taking part in the project and that enough workers were provided.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi launched the parallel 72-kilometer canal project on 5 ِAugust. It is expected to increase the revenues of the channel by 259 percent.
It is also expected to provide one million jobs in new projects on the banks of the canal, including shipyards, container service facilities, car manufacturing and advanced technology industries, wood and textile industries and other projects.
The project is expected to reduce the transit time of ships from 11 hours to three hours and increase the daily number of crossing ships from 49 in 2014 to 97 in 2023.
