Israel's Transport Ministry is studying a plan to build a new port in the Red Sea city of Eilat. The so-called Southern Gateway project would involve closing the existing port at the southern end of the city and digging a canal along its northeastern edge adjacent to the border with Jordan. The cost of the project is estimated at over $3 billion.
On March 12, the Transport Ministry issued a request for information from interested parties to examine the feasibility of the huge project. Plans call for the construction of a canal that would be 100 meters wide and four kilometers long.