Reports about the opening of the "new Suez Canal" (http://www.arcor.de/content/aktuell/news_politik_ausland/3897896,1,Neuer-Suezkanal-wurde-eröffnet,content.html) are making the rounds in the media. This is in fact an extension of the existing canal. The very short construction period of just one year is remarkable.
Egypt financed the construction with private funds from its citizens and is now hoping for more ship passages and an economic upturn in the canal region. Internationally, it has touted the project as its gift to the world.
The widening will enable two-way traffic on larger sections, but not along the entire route. For shipping, the time in which oncoming traffic has to wait in the roadstead or in the Bitter Lakes will be reduced. In any case, this means more flexibility, especially for the tightly scheduled liner services, which previously had to reach the canal on time to avoid losing an entire day.
Even if economic experts are sceptical as to whether Egypt's underlying expectations will be fulfilled, the national enthusiasm for the opening of the canal was in any case an emotional success for the Egyptian government.
From a European perspective, there are many reasons to keep a close eye on the further development of this project.
English 
German
I agree with the sailor: Europe must watch the Suez Canal 2.0 project carefully with an eye on global logistical flows and China's maritime expansion. At the other end of the world, the Middle Kingdom is financing a canal through Nicaragua as a counterpart to the Panama Canal. Washington is keeping a wary eye on the Chinese ground-breaking ceremony in Central America. This brings us to a leitmotif in this block: maritime domain awareness - the knowledge of maritime spaces. And this is precisely what is underdeveloped in Germany,
says Fleet
That's right, and that's why I've drawn attention to the project with this article. Incidentally, there is a huge difference between Suez and Nicaragua: while the Egyptians got things up and running quickly and without much fuss, it is the other way round in Central America. You hear a lot of propaganda, but you see more problems than progress. One wonders whether the Middle Kingdom is really behind it or just individual Chinese investors. So there is still more to observe
finds
the sailor