From the Great Bitter Lake to Lake Timsah and Fayed city, Ismailia is considered to be one of the most strategic Egyptian governorates, especially with its vital location on the Suez Canal. In light of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science’s desire and aim to help its professors and students achieve excellence, not only for academic purposes but also in everyday events by encouraging them to learn and understand events closely from experts, FEPS, with the help of the Youth Welfare Department, have organized a field trip to Ismailia Governorate to visit the Suez Canal and its tunnels -called Tahya Misr Tunnels- which are located at the North of Ismailia, linking the Delta and Sinai. In such a way, students can benefit from quality education by linking scientific theories to the studied practical reality. And as usual, our distinguished Editorial team was first at sight to cover such a notable event.

On the 18th of July, a FEPSian delegation headed by the Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Saeed, Dr. Gouda Abdel-Khaleq, the former Minister of Solidarity, along with many other distinguished professors and students from all departments and stages, took the road to Ismailia. The trip program included four visits under the supervision of the head of the Suez Canal Authority, Admiral Osama Rabie, and the advisor to the Authority's chairman, Major General Khaled Al-Azzazi. First, we went to visit the Maritime Navigation and Guidance Building affiliated with the Suez Canal Authority, then we to the Naval Training and Simulation Center, later we had a tour of the Tahya Misr tunnels, and finally, a tour of the old and new Suez Canals.

The delegation along with Elite's team was welcomed by Admiral Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority, at the main headquarters of the Canal, where the Maritime Navigation and Guidance Building of the Suez Canal Authority can be found. Then, accompanied by guides from the Suez Canal Authority, we moved to the second destination of the trip. The guides went on to explain the importance of the "Naval Training and Simulation Center", as being a cornerstone for the canal authority where captains from all over the world are trained. In this center, there is a marine simulation system for ships, exposing them to all kinds of weather and environmental conditions that they can encounter in the Suez Canal. Captains come to train under the supervision of Egyptian experts, in different maritime conditions from those present at their countries like navigating through narrow waterways.

Later in the day, we were hosted at the Naval Training and Simulation Center by Major General Khaled Al-Azzazi, Advisor to the President of the Authority, who demonstrated the course of ships in the Suez Canal and their journey after crossing the Egyptian international borders, such as inspection procedures and weighing the ship in order to pay the entry fees, as fees vary from one ship to another. By entering the canal from the Red Sea, a guide comes on board to help the ship captain in navigating through the canal til reaching Ismailia Governorate where another guide joins instead then later gets off the ship when reaching the Egyptian borders and vice versa when coming from the borders of the Mediterranean. Then the center illustrated through an interactive presentation the history of the old Suez Canal and gave us details about the New Canal which measures about 72 km In length and took only 12 months to dig. By observing numbers and statistics of the new Suez Canal, and the navigation system before and after digging it, it was found that the convoys were reduced to two convoys only per day, one from the north and one from the south, instead of three convoys. The presentation illustrated also the impact of the new canal on the Egyptian economy, as it shortened the transportation routes for global supply, which led to an increase in the number of ships and the provision of more hard currency. Its role has been even more clarified in the recent crisis of the ship "Evergevin", which caused the blockage of the Canal and the complete disruption of the maritime traffic, showing its great impact on world trade movements. The Suez Canal Authority took the delegation also on a guided tour of the Tahya Misr tunnels in Ismailia, which connect the lands of the Delta with Sinai, as well as a visit of the New Ismailia City. In the past, there had been only one route to reach Sinai, which was through of the Martyr Ahmed Helmy Tunnel in Suez Governorate. However, the construction of other tunnels has now begun in Port Said and Ismailia in order to facilitate movement for citizens and make Sinai a more vital land that is not difficult to access. The Tahya Misr tunnels consist of two main tunnels that pass under both the old and new Suez Canals and were built according to the latest and safest international standards for underwater tunnels. The guides further explained the commuters’ journey through the tunnel, what they face from automatic and manual inspection procedures, and how the tunnel was designed in order to eliminate any dangers that someone might face in it, as ventilation holes were installed in the ceiling, along with several emergency exits and units to communicate with help units outside in case of any malfunction.

Finally, the faculty's delegation headed to a beach club, called Al-Dinfa in Ismailia, to take a boat tour to the east and west of the Canal. The guides demonstrated the basic features of the Canal while showing the linking channel between the old and new one, which only acts as a service unit with no ships passing through it due to its small depth, however, small boats carrying on its board the navigation guides pass regularly. Furthermore, on the banks of the Canal, there could be seen some ancient buildings of French heritage, such as the Church of Saint Agatha built by Ferdinand de Lesseps' son and the Namera 6 Hospital. This is in addition to the presence of modern navigational aids on the banks of the new canal, such as buoys and pilot stations. The trip proceeded as we observed the enormous ships, how the guides were changed in the canal, and eventually, the tour came to a conclusion.

Through the lens of Elite's team, we witnessed a great effort made by the college administration in order to obtain such an exceptional experience that might have been hard to find on an individual visit to the governorate. With valuable information, facts, and real on-ground major projects that make Egyptians proud of how their country manages such an institution of great importance and complexity, where if one thing goes wrong, entire countries’ economies will be at risk. But despite that, Egyptians continue to amaze the world with their efforts and persistence!