On Friday, the day after the inauguration of the much -anticipated extension to the Suez Canal was opened, total traffic along the canal reached 54 vessels, according to state-run news agency MENA. As the government estimates the number of vessels to cross will rise to 97, how can logistics and security be optimised?

The question acts as a trigger to kick off the Smart Suez Canal Hackathon, an event held by Egypt’s Technology Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC) to discuss with young leaders and creative startups new ways to turn “the new canal into a smart one.”

The event will be held between October 2nd-5th at the Smart Village, providing an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to be a part of the debate surrounding the challenges posed by the new infrastructural addition, such as logistics optimisation, security, energy consumption, and support services.

Founded in 2010, TIEC is a governmental entity which aims to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in ICT to boost the national economy, working towards acting as a hub for networking, innovation and entrepreneurship entities and affiliations around the world.