President gives limitless support to the SCA – Rabie
‘New Suez Canal opens fresh vistas for developing waterway’
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi Tuesday inaugurated via video link a number of development projects carried out by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).
SCA Chairman Osama Rabie announced the opening of the first phase of Port Said water station.
The station has a capacity of 80,000 cubic metres which will increase the station’s daily supply to 480 cubic metres until 2038. The water station cost LE180 million, Rabie said.
The president also inaugurated the Ferdan Pilot Station which is one of 16 stations on the waterway as part of the digital transformation scheme to link all navigation monitors on a unified grid.
SCA Chairman Rabie has asserted President Abdel Fattah el Sisi’s keenness to consolidate Egypt’s military and diplomatic position in the world.
Rabie’s statements came during the inauguration of a number of projects at the canal by President Sisi, the supreme commander of the Armed Forces.
Rabie greeted president Sisi on the approach of Eidul Fitr and conveyed to him the greetings and the appreciation of the Suez Canal workers over efforts to develop the waterway.
Rabie voiced appreciation of the president’s limitless support for the SCA in development and maintenance operations.
He hailed president Sisi’s support for SCA during the Ever Given ship crisis which ended in a six-day time and the facilities offered to the canal authority to deal with all scenarios.
He said that the support which SCA received boosted revenues in April, noting that the number of the ships that transited the canal in the first half of 2021 increased 4.8 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year.
Rabie added that President Sisi’s decision to launch the new Suez Canal project reflected his far-sighted economic vision, pointing out that the new project opened new vistas for developing the waterway.
Rabie said that the SCA has made a number of achievements over the past year despite the global crisis of coronavirus thanks to the ability of the government to develop several scenarios to overcome any crises.
He went on to say that the SCA has drawn up multiple alternatives for international shipping institutions, ship owners and operators, including marketing packages and flexible pricing policies for the canal transit fees.
Rabie said: “The SCA has devised a comprehensive strategy for development and modernisation for 2023.”
This strategy enabled the authority to face the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused heavy losses to the global economy and the movement of international trade.
He said that the strategy of the SCA for 2023 has several aspects, including the development of the navigation channel, the upgrade of the maritime fleet, digital transformation, and optimising the use of assets.
The SCA is giant and constantly developing in conformity with the development of the world trade movement, Rabie said.
