The Suez Canal was expanded between 2014 and 2015, when a second channel was dredged near the city of Ismailia, Egypt. This channel, dubbed the “New Suez Canal,” spans 22 miles (35 kilometers) between the Great Bitter Lakes and El Ballah bypasses, allowing ships to transit the canal in both directions simultaneously. It nearly doubled the capacity of the Suez Canal, from 49 to 97 ships per day.