Suez Canal expansion

On Aug. 6, the Suez Canal opened a new expansion that allows greater amounts of 2-way traffic to move through the waterway.

The 21-mile bypass along the center of the 120-mile canal cost $6 billion and took one year for 43,000 laborers to complete. It is estimated it will reduce wait times for ships queuing to enter the canal by as much as eight hours. It is the third expansion of the canal since the passage first opened in 1869.