PM reviews port upgrade plans

Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli Thursday highlighted the role of the Supreme Ports Council (SPC) in view of government plans to make Egypt an international trade centre.

During an SPC meeting, the premier said that the recent incident in the Suez Canal had negative consequences.

However, the six-day blockage brought in sharp relief Egypt’s contributions to international trade, the prime minister said.

The crisis also reasserted the importance of the Suez Canal as a vital passageway for international trade, he added.

Madbouli praised upgrade efforts to management systems of Egypt’s ports.

These efforts are at the core of the SPC mandate, he said, adding that improving port management systems is in response to instructions by President Abdel Fattah el Sisi.

Madbouli also reviewed ongoing modernisation of the nation’s ports to turn them into international trade hubs.

The SPC would hold a series of meetings to follow up modernisation.

Minister of Transport Kamel el-Wazir, chairman of Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone), Yehia Zaki, and chairman of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones Mohamed Abdel Wahab attended the meeting.

El-Wazir said the council would draw up plans for the overhaul of the nation’s ports.

The council would also achieve integration between these ports on the road to attracting the largest number of maritime transport companies.

El-Wazir noted that the council would also remove problems facing the work of the ports and suggest solutions to these problems.

The council will propose measures to improve the investment climate within the ports, especially inside the SCZone, el-Wazir said.

He briefed the prime minister and the SPC about his ministry’s plans to upgrade the ports.

The plans would seek to turn Egypt into an international logistical centre by exploiting its strategic location in close proximity to the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, el-Wazir said.

These plans would be implemented by Egyptians in co-operation with international companies in operation and management.

The prime minister’s meeting with the SPC dealt with the upgrade of the ports of Alexandria, Dekheila, Sokhna, Damietta and Red Sea.