Suez expansion to be operational in first quarter, canal chairman says

The new stretch of the Suez Canal near Egypt's Little Bitter Lake will be operational in the first quarter of this year, the chairman of the canal authority Osama Rabie said on Tuesday. Egypt said on Saturday it had successfully tested the new 10-km stretch near the canal's southern end, developed despite a drop in revenue due to Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. The Suez Canal Authority confirmed two ships had passed through the new section during a trial run without incident.