_ View of the passing station. Km. 14. Raz-El-Ech. With the exception of the lakes, the navigable width of the canal was never more than 22 metres, something which meant that two average-sized ships could not pass. Hence passing stations were built about every 10 kilometres. On leaving Port Said, the first was Raz-El-Ech. The station itself was about three hundred metres long and provided a place for southbound ships to pull into so as to let northbound vessels pass.