Marstal Maersk; the world’s largest container ship has crossed Egypt’s New Suez Canal Sunday, coming from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, Al-Ahram Online reported.
The giant Danish container’s tonnage is of 200,360 tones. It is 380 meters (1140 feet) long and 59 meters wide.
Earlier on Saturday, the canal also received the 332 meter-long oil tanker Kong, with a capacity of 161,000 tones.
On Aug. 6, Egypt inaugurated the New Suez Canal in presence of the world’s leaders.
The estimated $8.2 billion New Suez Canal project includes a 35-km parallel waterway flanking the existing 145-year old waterway, which links Asia and Europe, Reuters said on Aug. 5.
It added that the project also includes a deepening and widening of 37 km of the existing canal. This will cut transit times for ships by seven hours and allow larger vessels easier passage.
The Suez Canal Authority expects a windfall of additional revenue — $13.23 billion in annual revenue by 2023 from $5.3 billion in 2014, with the number of daily vessels rising from 49 to 97 over the same period, according to Reuters.
