DHAKA: Egypt has opened a major expansion of the Suez Canal, which deepens the main waterway and provides ships with a 35km channel parallel to it.

At the inauguration, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed foreign leaders aboard a historic yacht as helicopters and fighter jets flew by.

The expansion aims to increase the traffic handled by the canal, reports the BBC.

Egypt’s government hopes the revenues will revive the economy - but analysts have questioned the projections.

They point out that the volume of world trade has not been growing at the pace needed to deliver the sums Egypt hopes to collect.

Egyptians commenting to the international press and on Twitter appear divided over the project, with many asking if the $8.2bn spent on the expansion could have been better deployed on improving infrastructure and public services.

The expansion will allow for two-way traffic along part of the route, as well as for larger vessels overall. The construction of the new lane began a year ago, on the orders of Sisi.

At the inauguration ceremony in the town of Ismailia, the president appeared in military uniform and sunglasses aboard the El-Mahrousa - the yacht that was the first vessel to pass through the canal when it was built in 1869.

The former military leader, elected last year as a civilian, welcomed foreign guests including French President Francois Hollande and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Fighter jets and helicopters flew above the ceremony. On the streets of Cairo, banners described the expanded canal as Egypt’s ‘gift to the world’.

Pro-government media have hailed the expansion of the canal as a national triumph, and a turning point after years of instability.

BDST: 2208 HRS, AUG 06, 2015
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