新奇事件簿 埃及建新苏伊士运河（在线收听）

Egypt's President Abdelfattah el-Sisi attended a ceremony yesterday to unveil a major extension of the Suez Canal. The original canal was completed in 1869 and took 10 years to build. The new, $8.5 billion canal was constructed in just under 12 months, beating all predictions by industry experts that it would take five years. The canal provides a passageway between the Mediterranean and Red seas. President Sisi sailed up the canal in his presidential yacht, the El Mahrousa, wearing military fatigues to attend the inauguration. The El Mahrousa was the first ship to officially sail through the original canal nearly a century-and-a-half ago. President Sisi described the new canal as Egypt's "gift to the world".

昨天，埃及总统阿卜杜勒·法塔赫·塞西参加了拓宽苏伊士运河的开幕仪式。最初的苏伊士运河于1869年完工，总建造时间长达10年。新苏伊士运河耗资85亿美元，并于一年内完成，这也打破了行内专家预计在5年内完成的预测。新运河将连通地中海和红海。总统塞西当天身穿军装，乘坐总统游艇El Mahrousa号通过新运河，参加开幕仪式。将近150年前，El Mahrousa号是第一艘行驶在老苏伊士运河上的官方游艇。塞西总统认为这条新运河是埃及赐给世界的礼物。

Egypt's government hopes the new canal will provide a much-needed boost for the country's economy. The head of the Suez Canal Authority, Mohab Mamish, said the new canal was important to ensure Egypt earns revenues from its waterways in the future. He told reporters: "If I can't handle this and turn it into revenue for the Egyptian treasury, alternative routes will emerge." He hopes revenues will increase from the current annual $5.3 billion to $13.2 billion by 2023. That means shipping traffic would need to grow from 49 per day at present to 97 by 2023. This would entail a nine per cent increase in global trade. Some economists have cast doubt on whether these figures can be met.

埃及政府希望这条新运河能够为埃及经济添油助力。苏伊士运河走廊项目委员会负责人马米什称新运河至关重要，因为它能够保证埃及通过水运来增加财政收入。他对记者说：“如果我无法将运河收入转化为国家财政收入，那么其他路线也将应运而生。”他希望到2030年之前，年收入能够从53亿美金增长到132亿美元。这就意味着到2030年之前，每天通过苏伊士运河的船只数量将从如今的49艘增至97艘。这将为全球贸易增加9个百分点。许多经济学家对是否能够达到这一目标而表示怀疑。