It feels like an admission that the ships are too big for the current canal. You can read elsewhere about some ugly hydrodynamics of vessels that size if they get close to a canal wall.

Here's an expert whose discussion is very interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ14E289jvw

Also, the canal generates critical foreign dollars for Egypt. They're probably slightly panicked about the proposed Israeli canal, particularly as transit companies are (one would assume!) much more open to alternatives.