65 vessels cross new Suez Canal on third day of operation

Sixty-five ships transited the Suez Canal on Sunday on the third day of the official operation of the new canal project.

The vessels were carrying a total cargo of 3.839 million tons, according to a statement issued by the Suez Canal Authority.

The south-bound convoy included 37 vessels carrying 1.958 million tons. The largest is the Danish-flagged container ship "Munkebo Maersk", arriving from Spain and heading to Malaysia with 200,000 tons of cargo on board, the statement added.

The north-bound convoy included 28 ships carrying 1.8 million tons with the largest being "Gener8 Poseidon", a crude oil tanker hoisting the flag of Marshall Islands and loaded with 159,000 tons.

Egypt inaugurated on Thursday the new Suez Canal, which will massively increase the capacity of the existing canal and offer an important opportunity to boost the country’s struggling economy.

The new 72-kilometer waterway, built in less than a year at a cost of 60 billion EGP, runs part of the way alongside the existing canal connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

The legendary project was mostly financed by investment certificates sold to Egyptians.