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A 2015 expansion that added a second, parallel channel to the legendary Suez Canal — allowing ships to sail both ways at once on the world's busiest trade artery.توسعةٌ عام 2015 أضافت قناةً ثانية موازية لقناة السويس الأسطورية — تتيح للسفن الإبحار في الاتجاهين معًا على أكثر شرايين التجارة ازدحامًا في العالم.
The Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, has been one of the world's most vital waterways for over 150 years. In 2015, Egypt gave it a dramatic upgrade: the New Suez Canal, a major expansion that dug a second, parallel channel alongside part of the original. Completed in a single year, it allows ships to travel in both directions at once, slashing waiting times and boosting the capacity of the busiest trade route on Earth — a project of enormous national pride.
ظلّت قناة السويس، الرابطة بين المتوسّط والبحر الأحمر، من أهمّ الممرّات المائية في العالم لأكثر من 150 عامًا. وفي عام 2015، منحتها مصر تطويرًا مذهلًا: قناة السويس الجديدة، توسعةٌ كبرى حفرت قناةً ثانية موازية بمحاذاة جزءٍ من الأصلية. واكتملت في عامٍ واحد، وتتيح للسفن السير في الاتجاهين معًا، فتقلّص أوقات الانتظار وتزيد سعة أكثر طرق التجارة ازدحامًا على الأرض — مشروعٌ يبعث على فخرٍ وطني عظيم.
A Second Channel · قناةٌ ثانية
Doubling a 19th-century waterway.مضاعفة ممرٍّ مائي من القرن التاسع عشر.
The original Suez Canal was, for much of its length, only wide enough for one line of ships, forcing vessels going one way to wait in passing bays for those coming the other. The New Suez Canal fixed this by adding a roughly 72-kilometre parallel channel — partly newly dug, partly a widening and deepening of the existing route — so that convoys can now pass in both directions simultaneously along much of the canal. It was a bold piece of engineering on one of the world's most strategic waterways.
Built in a Single Year · بُنيت في عامٍ واحد
Finished far ahead of schedule.أُنجزت قبل موعدها بكثير.
Originally expected to take three years, the project was completed in just twelve months on the orders of the government, and opened with great ceremony in August 2015. In a point of national pride, it was funded entirely by Egyptians, through investment certificates rather than foreign loans, with the armed forces helping with the digging. The speed and scale of the effort made the New Suez Canal a powerful symbol of national determination and ambition.
A Global Trade Lifeline · شريان تجارة عالمي
A crossroads of world commerce.ملتقى تجارة العالم.
The Suez Canal is one of the most important arteries in global trade, carrying a huge share of the goods that move between Europe and Asia. By cutting waiting times and increasing the number of ships that can pass each day, the expansion aimed to raise the canal's capacity and revenues, which flow directly into Egypt's economy. The New Suez Canal forms the centrepiece of a wider Suez Canal Area Development Project, including new tunnels under the canal to Sinai, industrial zones, and upgraded ports.
Quick Facts · حقائق سريعة
Sources include the Suez Canal Authority and international reporting. Some figures are approximate.