Egypt's Suez Canal Authority announced Thursday that it has begun dredging the southern section of the canal to widen it and make it more navigable in both directions.

The plan to widen the southern section of the Suez Canal will be carried out in phases, Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabeeh said in a statement. The completion of the project will help reduce the time required for ships to travel through the canal, improve navigation efficiency and enhance navigation safety.

On November 11, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi approved the plan to widen the southern section of the Suez Canal. The plan mainly covers about 30 kilometers of the Suez Canal from the city of Suez to the Great Bitter Lake. The plan will be expanded 40 meters on the previous foundation, and the maximum depth will be deepened from about 20 meters to about 22 meters. The project is expected to be completed within two years.

For now, the Ever Given, carrying thousands of containers, is still being held in the Great Bough Lake, between two sections of the canal, because the canal authority and the Japanese shipowners have not agreed on compensation.