Dredging work to expand the New Canal and the southern stretch of the waterway began yesterday, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement. The expansion — which President Abdel Fattah El Sisi wants to see completed within 24 months — will add a 10 km extension to the New Suez Canal, as well as widening and deepening the canal’s southern stretch (where the infamous Ever Given got lodged). The expansions will allow more vessels to pass through the canal and are designed to ensure that we don’t see a repeat of the Ever Given saga. SCA boss Osama Rabie had presented the expansion plans to El Sisi last week, as the SCA continues to butt heads with Ever Given owner Shoei Kisen over compensation payments for the mega vessel’s week-long blockage of the canal back in March.