Historic Dock Transit Marks Milestone in Suez Canal's History

The photo is taken by Suez canal Authority.

During November 7th and 8th, the Suez Canal achieved a remarkable milestone by facilitating one of the largest and most unique transit in its 154-year history. An enormous floating dock – part of a journey from Singapore to Turkey – was successfully transported through the Canal. The transit was made possible through extensive planning and preparation.

Passing Without Propulsion

Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), explained in the SCA newsletter that the operation required several pre-transit procedures. The process began with a detailed navigation plan created by the Navigation Monitoring Center. Following this, experts conducted discussions and safety analyses at the SCA’s Simulation and Maritime Training Academy. An initial inspection of the dock was also carried out at the Suez Anchorage Area by a team of pilots and tug operators.

The transit of the floating dock, Dourado, is considered non-traditional as it was transported and navigated solely by tugboats without propulsion power. Weighing 91,000 tons, the dock and its convoy measured 450 meters (1,476 feet) in length and 90 meters (295 feet) in width. This made it the largest floating unit ever to transit the Egyptiac canal by towing.

Ensuring Navigation Safety

The SCA credited the canal’s recent expansion for making this extraordinary transit possible. As part of a broader southern sector development project, the expansion increased the canal’s width on the eastern side by 40 meters. It also reduced water current effects, enhancing navigation safety. Previous to the expansion, the maximum allowable beam for vessels was 70 meters.

Despite these improvements, the SCA notes that the transit required precise navigation. The team carefully monitored water and air currents to maintain Dourado’s navigational axis throughout the voyage. To ensure safety, a speed limit was enforced throughout the operation.

"Team Work Makes the Dream Work"

When Dourado reached the southern anchorage, two escort tugboats from Singapore, including the Hulk II (IMO: 9276664) took the lead up front. Five SCA tugboats, including a lead vessel, were also used. The Nabil Al-Hilaly (IMO: 9948475) and another tugboat were positioned on each side of the dock’s central position, while the Svitzer Suez 1 (IMO: 9892913) and Svitzer Suez 2 (IMO: 9892925) provided rear support. The operation was managed by a team of 16 canal pilots and 10 tug operators.

The entire transit, conducted as part of a northbound convoy, took 24 hours to complete.