Egypt’s Ministry of Transport is developing all maritime ports to benefit from their geographical location and increase their competitiveness with international ports.
This statement by Minister of Transport Kamel el-Wazir came during his inspection tour of several projects at the port of Damietta on Sunday.
Damietta Port Authority chairman Walid Awad accompanied the minister on his inspection tour.
El-Wazir was briefed on the projects in the port and raised the flag on three recently delivered tugboats.
Each of the 35-metre tugs, built by the Egyptian Ship Repairs and Building Company, has a tensile capacity of 60 tonnes and can travel at 12 knots.
The minister inspected the new west wave barrier, which will reduce the build-up of sediment, and renovation works on the east wave barrier.
The ministry is developing all maritime ports to benefit from their geographical location and increase their competitiveness with international ports, the minister said.
El-Wazir issued directives to the authorities concerned to complete the projects on schedule and according to the highest global standards and specifications.
By 2024, Egypt will be a major global hub for transport and logistics when the 10-year modernisation plan of transport infrastructure is completed, el-Wazir said.
Egypt’s transport system will achieve sustainable development and change the face of life nationwide, el-Wazir added, noting that the 10-year plan (2014 to 2024) was drawn up to upgrade the transport and communications at a cost of LE1.6 trillion (about $106.3 billion).
The plan covers road- and bridge building costing LE474billion, railways, LE225 billion, tunnels and electric traction, LE837 billion, shipping, LE115 billion, dry ports and logistics, LE15 billion, and river transport, LE3billion.
Over the past seven years, el-Wazir said, projects worth roughly LE1.295 trillion have already been implemented, noting that a number of giant transport projects will be completed by the end of this year, while other projects such as the light rail transit (LRT) will be finished by the end of 2022.
“Projects such as the monorail, the high-speed electric train, as well as port projects will be completed by the end of 2024,” el-Wazir said.
The minister said that around 30,000 km of new roads will be completed by the end of 2024.
