Egypt’s Minister of Transport, Kamel Al-Wazir, witnessed the launch of financial trial operations on the brand new Safaga 2 Multipurpose Terminal, marking a significant milestone inside the nation’s method to position itself as a regional hub for transport, logistics, and transit commerce.
The launch comes in step with directives from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and varieties part of the continued progress of Higher Safaga Port, one amongst Egypt’s most important maritime infrastructure duties on the Crimson Sea. The event moreover shows the rising strategic partnership between Egypt and Abu Dhabi Ports Group.
Industrial trial operations began with the arrival of the terminal’s first two vessels. The UGR Al Samha, arriving from Singapore, carried 5,000 vehicles, whereas the Sven Prosper arrived from King Abdullah Port carrying 2,642 TEUs.
The ceremony was attended by Crimson Sea Governor Walid Abdel Azim, Abu Dhabi Ports Group Managing Director and CEO Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Deputy Minister of Transport for Maritime Transport Fundamental Regular Nehad Shahin, Crimson Sea Ports Authority Chairperson Fundamental Regular Mohamed Abdel Rahim, and Mohamed Fathy, Adviser to the Minister for Maritime Transport.
All through the go to, Al-Wazir toured the terminal’s facilities and reviewed container-handling operations, along with the operation of three ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and 6 hybrid rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes. The gear incorporates superior smart strategies for container positioning and yard administration, enhancing operational effectivity whereas reducing human error.
Describing the occasion as “a vital day for Egypt’s maritime transport sector,” Al-Wazir said the terminal spans 776,000 sq. metres and includes a 1,100-metre quay with a depth of 17 metres.
The facility has an annual coping with functionality of 450,000 TEUs, expandable to 2 million TEUs, together with accommodating as a lot as 7 million tonnes of dry and fundamental cargo, 1 million tonnes of liquid cargo, and 50,000 vehicles yearly.
The minister well-known that the terminal was constructed by Egyptian engineers and workers and equipped with state-of-the-art cargo-handling utilized sciences, making it the first facility of its sort in Larger Egypt.
He added that Safaga 2 represents a central factor of the built-in Safaga–Qena–Abu Tartour logistics corridor, one amongst eight worldwide logistics corridors being developed to strengthen Egypt’s place as a regional logistics and transit commerce hub.
Consistent with Al-Wazir, the terminal will perform a important gateway for the monetary progress of Larger Egypt by supporting mining actions inside the Golden Triangle space, facilitating import and export operations, and enhancing connectivity with industrial zones, progress duties, and free zones all through northern, central, and southern Larger Egypt.
The enterprise will also be anticipated to stimulate industrial funding, logistics suppliers, warehousing actions, and value-added industries, whereas encouraging higher use of rail freight transport, along with future integration with Egypt’s high-speed electrical rail group.
Al-Wazir highlighted the terminal’s strategic significance all through the Southern Arab Commerce Corridor, which hyperlinks Egyptian Mediterranean ports with Safaga Port sooner than extending to NEOM, Jeddah, and Gulf markets, in the long run connecting Gulf economies with Europe by Egypt.
He added that the facility will strengthen commerce hyperlinks with East African nations by the worldwide logistics zone designated for African companions, supporting exports and re-exports of every containerised and non-containerised cargo.
The minister moreover pointed to Egypt’s rising perform in worldwide maritime connectivity, noting that the nation presently ranks nineteenth globally, first in Africa, and second inside the Arab world in worldwide commerce connectivity. He said the Ministry of Transport is specializing in a spot among the many many world’s prime 15 nations in maritime connectivity by 2030.
Al-Wazir praised the partnership with Abu Dhabi Ports Group, describing it as a key factor of Egypt’s method to attract worldwide private-sector funding and important worldwide port operators. Such partnerships, he said, contribute to bettering operational effectivity, attracting important transport traces, and supporting nationwide monetary progress.
He moreover outlined Egypt’s broader maritime transport progress method, which is based on 4 pillars: rising seaports, modernising the nationwide maritime fleet, establishing strategic partnerships with important worldwide port operators and transport traces, and advancing legislative reforms, digital transformation, and yacht tourism initiatives.
For his half, Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports Group, reaffirmed Egypt’s significance all through the group’s worldwide portfolio, describing the nation as a key gateway inside its worldwide group spanning Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America.
He said the model new Noatum Ports – Safaga Terminal, with its strategic location on the Crimson Sea, will further strengthen the group’s perform as a worldwide commerce enabler alongside one in every of many world’s most important maritime corridors.
Al Shamisi added that the company appears forward to the terminal reaching full operational functionality later this 12 months as part of its ongoing collaboration with Egyptian companions.
Higher Safaga Port is being developed as an built-in maritime difficult comprising the current Safaga Port (Safaga 1), the Safaga 2 Multipurpose Terminal, the Safaga 3 Dry Bulk and Ro-Ro Terminal, and Safaga 4, which is ready to attribute three new berths extending two kilometres, a 17-metre draft, and a enterprise ship-repair yard.
