The Minister: The state is working on transforming the port of Sokhna into a pivotal port and increasing Egypt’s share of the global market for transit trade
4 new docks and 18 km of berths with a depth of 18 meters are being constructed, and trading yards with an area of 9.6 million square meters and commercial and logistics areas with an area of 5.3 km2 are being constructed, served by a network of railway lines with a length of 33 km connected to the high-speed electric train.
Within the framework of implementing the comprehensive plan to develop the maritime transport system and Egyptian ports to achieve the greater goal of transforming Egypt into a center for global trade and logistics in implementation of the directives of the political leadership, the team, Engineer Kamel Al-Wazir, Minister of Transport, accompanied by Walid Gamal El-Din, Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Authority, conducted an inspection tour to follow up on the implementation rates. A project to complete the development work of Ain Sokhna Port.
The tour began with an inspection of the ongoing construction work in the Third Basin, and the Minister listened to an explanation from the engineers of the operating companies regarding the implementation rates in the Basin, where some works on beams and the roof of the foundations for the sidewalks in the Third Basin were completed. The Minister of Transport and the head of the economic zone also inspected the drying works area for the Second Basins. The Fourth and Circulation Department, in addition to reviewing the latest developments in the implementation work of the four basin projects, directed the Minister to inspect the work and implementation rates for the Sixth Basin’s berths, which amount to 3 berths (multi-purpose stations and container terminals).
The Minister listened to a presentation from Major General Mohamed Khalil, Director of the Port Development Project, regarding the work carried out on the internal road network and railways, where the rates of implementation of berths reached 40% and the implementation of dry excavation works reached 75%, while the rate of implementation of railway works reached 35%, berths 23%, and breakwaters. The port: 82%, and the internal roads: 42%. The Minister directed that all works be intensified and worked on in parallel, so that when the development work is completed, all works will have been completed, whether sidewalks, roads, diesel railways, electricity, or utilities.
The Minister of Transport also reviewed the plan for the uses of the new berths for various activities, including a container berth with a length of (5,584) meters and trading yards (6,600,000) square meters, a general goods berth with a length of (7,369) meters, and trading yards with an area of (2,490,227) square meters, and a dock. Ro-Ro vehicles with a length of (1,060) meters and trading yards with an area of (925,743) square metres, a dock for flammable chemical goods with a length of (1,400) meters and trading yards with an area of (632,445) square metres, a coal dock with a length of (730) meters and trading yards with an area of (457,974) square metres. A liquid bulk dock with a length of (1,180) meters and trading yards with an area of (430,753) square metres, in addition to identifying proposals for coding the docks and yards according to what is applicable to international standards, stressing the need for all work to be carried out in accordance with international quality standards and adherence to the specified timetable for completion of the project.
The ongoing development work at Sokhna Port includes the construction of 4 new basins and 18 km of berths with a depth of 18 meters, the establishment of trading yards with an area of 9.6 million square meters, and commercial and logistical areas with an area of 5.3 km2, served by a network of railway lines with a length of 33 km connected to the Sokhna/El Alamein/Marsa high-speed electric train. Matrouh/Fayoum, in addition to a 17 km long arterial road with concrete paving, 6 lanes; To connect the docks and the port as a whole, which contributes to the absence of any future crowding inside the port, in addition to constructing breakwaters with a length of 3,270 meters.
The minister indicated that the Egyptian state is working on transforming the port of Sokhna into a pivotal port and increasing Egypt’s share of the global market for transit trade, in addition to serving Egyptian exports and helping to open new markets for Egyptian exports, by operating direct navigation services and increasing the ability to compete with countries with similar products and industries. By developing integrated solutions for transport and circulation between sea container terminals, railway stations and multimodal transport services, pointing to the importance of the initial signing that was concluded several days ago for the projects of constructing the superstructure, managing, operating, exploiting, maintaining and re-delivering a container terminal in Sokhna Port, and constructing the superstructure, managing, operating and exploiting. The maintenance and re-delivery of the container terminal at Berth 100 in Dekheila is one of the important steps of the project to establish the Sokhna/Dekheila integrated logistical hub for containers to link the Red and Mediterranean Bahrain in cooperation with the (Hutchison – COSCO – CMA – MSC) alliance, which is considered the largest logistical corridor to serve global trade between East and West. The axis is to exploit the high-speed electric train to transport containers, linking with production and consumption areas, logistical centers and dry ports, through the logistical corridor, making the most of the infrastructure of Egyptian ports and multimodal transport, which includes roads, railways, and river transport, and exploiting the two stations as gateways to provide integrated supply chains to serve trade. Globalism.
For his part, Walid Gamal El-Din, Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Authority, said that the ongoing development work in Sokhna Port is proceeding according to the scheduled timetable, in addition to permanent coordination with the Ministry of Transport, represented by the General Authority for Roads and Bridges, the implementer and the general contractor of the project, and accelerating the pace of work in implementation of the directives of the political leadership. Pointing out that these works enhance the port’s role in green hydrogen projects, which are the Authority’s top work priorities during the next phase, and coincide with the signing of some contracts during the Climate Change Summit and their entry into force at the end of this year.
Gamal El-Din added that the development of the ports of the economic zone contributes to strengthening the industrial zones affiliated with the authority, as the integration of ports and industrial zones together contributes to advancing the economic zone, pointing out that among the development works in Sokhna is the establishment of liquid bulk docks next to other multi-activity docks, which will facilitate business for Investors enjoy the availability of fuel tanks, thus facilitating export operations and optimum exploitation for the purposes of ship bunkering services.
