In an attempt to rekindle national pride and demonstrate his administration’s ability to move the country beyond a turbulent political period, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last August announced that the Suez Canal would be expanded to enable more vessels to transit the waterway and boost the country’s revenues.
Now in the early stages of construction, the expansion project is estimated to cost $4 billion, and while Egypt’s new president called for the project to be complete within a year, that optimistic target likely will give way to the challenge of building a new channel and new facilities.