Egypt

Shipping Arabia, September 22, 2026 – Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) became the largest container carrier operating through Damietta Port in 2025, handling 29.3% of the port’s container traffic as transshipment remained a major component of carrier volumes.

According to the latest Damietta Port Authority statistics, MSC handled approximately 375,800 TEUs, with transshipment accounting for 71.7% of its traffic through the port. The carrier had handled around 210,300 TEUs in 2024.

Yang Ming ranked second, accounting for 18.5% of Damietta’s container activity with approximately 236,800 TEUs. Unlike several other major carriers, foreign trade imports and exports represented 51.3% of Yang Ming’s traffic through the port.

Ocean Network Express (ONE) followed with a 9.4% share and approximately 120,000 TEUs, of which 61.9% was transshipment cargo. ONE had handled around 261,300 TEUs in 2024, when it accounted for 18.4% of the port’s container traffic.

Hapag-Lloyd recorded a particularly sharp shift, handling approximately 65,900 TEUs, equivalent to 5.1% of Damietta’s container activity, with transshipment representing 71% of its volume. In 2024, the carrier had handled around 454,700 TEUs and accounted for 32.1% of the port’s container traffic.

Other carriers serving Damietta included COSCO, CMA CGM, RCL and China Shipping.

Overall, Damietta received 1,007 containership calls in 2025, compared with 1,020 in 2024. Containerized cargo declined 6% to around 13.4 million tonnes, while throughput fell 10% to approximately 1.42 million TEUs, from 1.58 million TEUs a year earlier.

The figures highlight the importance of transshipment to Damietta’s container business, while also showing a significant redistribution of volumes among the major global carriers using the Egyptian Mediterranean gateway.

Source: Almal News

Shipping Arabia, September 22, 2026 – East Port Said Port has received the vehicle carrier AICC HUANGHU at the Suez Canal Automotive Terminal (SCAT), where the vessel is loading 235 vehicles for onward shipment to Aqaba.

The Ro-Ro vessel arrived from Alexandria and will depart for Aqaba following completion of loading operations, highlighting the developing vehicle shipping connection between Egypt’s Mediterranean ports and Jordan’s principal maritime gateway on the Red Sea.

AICC HUANGHU is a specialized vehicle carrier measuring 200 meters in length and 38 meters in beam, with a draught of 9 meters.

The Suez Canal Economic Zone said the call forms part of continued vehicle-handling activity across its ports and the growing use of SCAT for automotive and transit cargo.

Since beginning official operations in November 2025, SCAT has handled seven specialized vehicle carriers carrying a combined 4,735 vehicles. AICC HUANGHU was among the first vessels handled by the terminal and has now returned for another call.

The latest operation demonstrates SCAT’s developing role in Ro-Ro and automotive logistics, while the onward movement to Aqaba reflects the integration of regional maritime routes linking Mediterranean and Red Sea gateways.

SCAT forms part of the wider development of East Port Said’s logistics and cargo-handling capabilities, with vehicle transit operations adding another segment to the port’s growing maritime activity.

Source: Suez Canal Economic Zone

Shipping Arabia, September 21, 2026 – Egypt has launched trial operations at the first phase of a new general cargo and bulk terminal at Sokhna Port, with the facility designed to handle up to 10 million tonnes annually and accommodate large vessels at berths with depths of up to 18 meters.

Trial operations began with the arrival of GAMBELLA, represented by Dominion Shipping Agency, carrying around 1,460 metric tonnes of battery units for an energy storage system. The vessel was berthed and its cargo discharged and handled as part of the terminal’s operational testing programme.

Cargo discharge was carried out by Suez Stevedoring Company, while the terminal is operated by Egypt Marine Ports Company.

Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir said the trial phase will test the terminal’s complete operating system, including the readiness of its berths, yards, equipment, workforce and operational systems, as well as performance during vessel reception, discharge, cargo transfer and storage before progressing toward full operations.

The terminal occupies approximately 397,000 square meters and includes two marine berths with a combined length of 1,200 meters and depths of up to 18 meters, enabling it to receive large vessels and handle both general and bulk cargo.

Its targeted annual capacity of around 10 million tonnes will add substantial handling capability at Sokhna while supporting industrial and logistics activity across the Suez Canal region and surrounding economic zones.

Rear Adm. Abdel Qader Darwish, Chairman and Managing Director of Egypt Marine Ports Company, said the first vessel call represents an important step toward full operation of the facility as part of the wider development of Sokhna into a strategic Red Sea port.

Further phases will include the development of customs warehouses and value-added logistics services, with the company planning to progressively utilize the terminal’s full area and reach its targeted operating capacity.

Source: Ministry of Transport – Egypt

Shipping Arabia, September 21, 2026 – Egypt’s Suez and Red Sea Chamber of Shipping has called for stronger coordination across the maritime community as shipping companies and service providers navigate operational challenges and changing conditions affecting the sector.

The chamber reviewed its activities during its ordinary general assembly, chaired by Rear Adm. Abdel Qader Gaballah, with the participation of members including Capt. Mohamed Naguib, Chairman of Flex Shipping Agencies and Yacht Tourism.

The meeting reviewed the chamber’s board report, financial statements and final accounts for the financial years ending June 30, 2025 and June 30, 2026, alongside its proposed budget for 2026/2027. Members also considered amendments to parts of the chamber’s financial regulations and membership-related matters.

Following the formal agenda, shipping industry representatives discussed problems and operational challenges facing chamber members and the wider maritime community, with the meeting providing a platform for companies to raise concerns and propose practical solutions.

Gaballah said closer coordination between the chamber and its members would be increasingly important in addressing challenges facing the sector, emphasizing continued dialogue and collective discussion of issues affecting maritime businesses.

Naguib similarly stressed the importance of cooperation between shipping companies, the chamber and relevant authorities to create a more efficient operating environment capable of responding to changes affecting maritime transport.

He said greater coordination would support the competitiveness of Egyptian ports and Egypt’s position as a regional and international hub for trade, maritime transport and marine services.

The discussions come as Egypt continues expanding port and logistics infrastructure while seeking to strengthen the competitiveness of its maritime sector and the role of its ports across Mediterranean, Red Sea and Suez Canal trade routes.

Source: Almal News

Shipping Arabia, September 20, 2026 – Damietta Container & Cargo Handling Company is simultaneously handling four containerships involving 6,395 container moves, including two 368-meter Yang Ming mother vessels, highlighting the terminal’s capacity to manage large mainline ships alongside feeder operations.

The four vessels are being worked across the terminal’s container berths 1 to 6, which extend for a combined 1,450 meters.

Yang Ming’s YM Wellhead, measuring 368 meters with a draught of 15.8 meters, is alongside berths 1-2 for an operation involving 2,387 moves. Sister vessel YM Window, also 368 meters long and drawing 13.8 meters, is being handled at berths 2-3 with 2,386 moves.

The two mother vessels are operating alongside feeder services. Maersk’s 175-meter AS Sara is at berth 4 for 1,122 moves, while the 140-meter Jona Sophie, operated by United Feeder Services (UFS), is at berth 5 for a further 500 moves.

Together, the four operations represent 6,395 moves across the terminal, combining mainline and feeder activity within the same operational window.

Rear Adm. Dr. Rafik Galal, Executive Managing Director of Damietta Container & Cargo Handling Company, said the dimensions of the vessels currently alongside remain below the terminal’s maximum operational capability.

The terminal has previously handled containerships approaching 400 meters in length with draughts of up to 16.10 meters, supported by berth development and deepening works and investment in additional ship-to-shore (STS) and rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes.

Galal said the infrastructure and equipment programme is intended to improve handling efficiency and maintain the terminal’s ability to accommodate newer generations of ultra-large containerships.

The continued development forms part of Egypt’s wider port and logistics strategy, with Damietta strengthening its capacity to serve mainline and feeder networks in the Eastern Mediterranean and support growing transshipment activity.

Source: Damietta Container & Cargo Handling Company

Shipping Arabia, September 20, 2026 – Egypt is advancing a broad portfolio of port, terminal, ship repair and maritime infrastructure projects across the Mediterranean and Red Sea, as the country seeks to expand cargo-handling capacity and strengthen multimodal trade corridors linking its seaports with rail and inland logistics networks.

Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir reviewed the programme during the ordinary and extraordinary general assemblies of the Suez Canal Company for Marine Ports Development, attended by Suez Canal Authority Chairman and Managing Director Adm. Ossama Rabiee.

Company Chairman and Managing Director Maj. Gen. Mohamed Farag presented progress on projects including dredging, reclamation and berth construction for a dry bulk terminal at El-Max Port, reclamation works at Damietta Port and development of a cement plant at Arish Port.

The company is also involved in the Ferdan-Taba railway, a logistics terminal for handling raw materials and pellets at Adabiya, construction of an 850-meter marine berth covering a total area of 270,000 square meters, and reclamation works supporting the Tahya Misr 2 terminal.

Other projects include Taba Port, which forms part of the Arish-Taba logistics corridor, alongside dredging and reclamation for a ship repair and recycling area at Damietta and construction of the port’s 6,920-meter western breakwater.

El-Wazir called for the projects to remain on schedule while directing the company to expand into additional maritime infrastructure and operational activities.

He said the company’s future role should extend beyond port construction to the management, operation and maintenance of cargo, container and multipurpose terminals and marine berths inside and outside Egypt.

The strategy also calls for greater integration between maritime, road and rail transport, positioning port infrastructure as part of wider logistics corridors rather than standalone facilities.

El-Wazir described the company as a key arm of Egypt’s port development programme, with a larger role expected in expanding maritime capacity and strengthening the country’s position in regional and international trade.

Source: Ministry of Transport – Egypt

Shipping Arabia, September 19, 2026 – The Suez Canal Authority and Thailand are exploring cooperation in dredging, maritime training and other marine services, as the authority seeks to expand the international reach of expertise developed through operating one of the world’s busiest maritime waterways.

SCA Chairman and Managing Director Adm. Ossama Rabiee discussed the potential cooperation with Lertsak Pattanachaikul, Second Deputy Speaker of Thailand’s House of Representatives, during a meeting at the authority’s Al-Irshad headquarters in Ismailia on September 14.

The Thai delegation also included Thanawat Sirikul, Thailand’s Ambassador to Egypt, representatives of the House of Representatives and embassy officials.

Pattanachaikul said Thailand was interested in strengthening cooperation with the SCA and drawing on its long-standing experience in dredging and training, while Rabiee confirmed the authority’s readiness to begin practical cooperation through the Suez Canal Academy for Maritime Training and Simulation.

The meeting also covered the SCA’s expanding maritime activities beyond vessel transit. Rabiee highlighted efforts to localize the construction of marine units for operations in the canal and Egyptian ports, while developing opportunities to export locally built units to overseas markets.

The authority has also expanded its portfolio of maritime services, including ship repair and maintenance, marine salvage, water ambulance services, pollution control and waste collection, as part of efforts to diversify revenue and provide additional support to vessels using the canal.

Rabiee said the Suez Canal continues to perform its role as a critical maritime link between Asia and Europe despite challenges affecting regional shipping, emphasizing its importance to the continuity of global supply chains.

Sirikul said potential cooperation could extend beyond technical maritime activities to include maritime and cultural tourism, broadening the scope of engagement between Thailand and the canal authority.

The discussions come as the SCA increasingly looks to leverage its experience in dredging, shipbuilding, training and specialized marine services alongside its core role managing the Suez Canal.

Source: Suez Canal Authority