Tavelling the Suez Canal

Tavelling the Suez Canal

we were in a convoy of numerous freighters and cargo ships - here the sterns of several going in the opposite direction in the only area where there is now two-way traffic.

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez, and separates the African continent from Asia. After 10 years of construction, it was officially opened on November 17, 1869. The canal allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa, thereby reducing the sea voyage distance by about 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi). It extends 193.30 km (120.11 mi) from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez. In 2012, 17,225 vessels traversed the canal (47 per day).
The canal is a single-lane waterway with passing locations in the Ballah Bypass and the Great Bitter Lake.[2] It contains no locks system, with seawater flowing freely through it. In general, the canal north of the Bitter Lakes flows north in winter and south in summer. South of the lakes, the current changes with the tide at Suez. (thank you, Wiki)