CAIRO: A massive French container ship crossed Sunday the new branch of the Suez Canal, known in the local media as “New Suez Canal,” Youm7 reported.
The vessel CMA CGM VASCO DE GAM is one of the largest container ships in the world with length of 400 meters, width of 54 meters and is submersible 54 feet.
Its total tonnage reaches 180,000 tons, and it was coming from Malaysia and heading to Tangier City in Morocco.
As part of a traditional practice, a member of the Suez Canal Authority boarded the ship to greet the crew that passes through the canal for the first time and honor them with memorial shields.
Earlier this month, the MSC Oliver, the world’s second largest container ship, crossed the new waterway in its first journey from China to Europe.
On Aug. 6, Egypt inaugurated the New Suez Canal in presence of many world leaders.
The estimated $8.2 billion New Suez Canal project includes a 35-km parallel waterway flanking the existing 145-year old waterway, which links Asia and Europe.