That would be in the Great Bitter Lake, or perhaps the Small bitter Lake. I passed thru the Suez canal in 1977, north to south on the way to England, south to north on the way home. I had heard of it, of course, but it wasn't until we travelled thru it that I got an idea of the size and the sheer number of ships that use it. We started at 0600, and glided thru the exit at Port Said after dark. A surreal moment, silently gliding past the hundreds of people going about their business, just off our port bow. It was like watching a movie, and not one of them acknowledged our presence.
Ships travel in convoy, and are supposed to keep their position in the convoy. There is no 2 way traffic, the north bound line starts at 0600, and has right of way , and has exclusive use of the eastern route. South bound traffic starts at mid night, and anchors in the great bitter lakes, to let the northbound pass. A second south bound convoy starts at 0700 , and anchors in the Western Ballah bypass, to let the northbound one thru.
I have heard they are building a second canal to increase the number of ships per day. Fascinating part of the World, I'll be glad when it settles down, so we can go & have a good look, Bob
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