Completed within just three months, the new 8.5 km (5.2 mile) access channel directly links the East Port Said port complex to the Mediterranean Sea, eliminating the need for vessels heading to the Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) to wait 6-8 hours for a time window between vessel convoys transiting the canal. This means that the channel, dredged to a depth of 18.5 meters (61 feet), can provide 24-hour access to East Port Said, and SCCT, to the Ultra-Large Container Ships (ULCS) of 18,000 TEU capacity and above now deployed in the Far East/Europe trade lanes, and using the canal in increasing numbers.
