by Hassan Baraka
Minister of Transport Eng. Hani Dahi says the third basin at al-Sokhna Harbour is being expanded to receive ships carrying liquefied gas.
The development of the harbours at Hurghada and Nuweiba, including new passenger and arrival terminals, has been completed to accommodate the movement of passengers between Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan and provide a superior services for travellers. A new quay has been built at Damietta Port, and an agreement has been reached to operate a maritime passenger terminal at Alexandria Port in cooperation with the Armed Forces National Service Authority, Dahi adds.
The final touches were added to the development work at Safaga Harbour in last month, and renovations to al-Adabiya Harbour will be completed in October.
Dahi says an agreement has been reached to establish a liquid bulk terminal at al-Sokhna Harbour a total cost of LE3bn, This will create a centre for storing and distributing petroleum products.
Blueprints for the harbours within range of the Suez Canal, namely East Port Said, West Port Said, al-Adabiya, al-Sokhna, al-Tur and al-Arish, have been reviewed and agreed upon by the Suez Canal Authority and the project consultant Dar al-Handassa in preparation for the development of East Port Said and al-Sokhna harbours as a first priority.
A strategy has now been drawn up to develop this sector to be implemented on several axes in parallel. This will work on improving the rates of loading and unloading employing the latest equipment and constructing new quays, which will reduce the waiting time for vessels and increase harbour revenues, Dahi says. He points to an increase in the volume of commodities handled by 17.3 per cent and an increase in container ships handled by 9.5 per cent, which have led to more revenues.
A package of new ventures will be offered to local and foreign investors to create a vertical expansion after technical and economic feasibility studies have been carried out. These will include funding partnership alternatives between harbour authorities and investors so that the authorities can maintain their role in organising services inside ports, as well as governance and sharing of profits.
The director of the Red Sea Ports Authority, Maj.-Gen. Hisham Abu Senna, says work has begun on the development of Hurghada port at an expected cost of LE205mn. The development includes a new passenger terminal to accommodate 700,000 passengers annually, and the renovation of the 340-metre quay with a depth of 10 metres. This covers a 22,000-square-metre area and includes a triptych zone. Developing administrative buildings and establishing a desalination station with a capacity of 200 cubic metres are also included in the plan, Senna says.
Nuweiba Harbour has been developed at a cost of LE400mn, which includes a new passenger terminal with a capacity for 1.7 million passengers annually as well as a cargo terminal and a triptych station. Comprehensive plans have been prepared to develop the ports at al-Tur and Sharm al-Sheikh at a total cost of about LE750mn, and a second container ship area at East Port Said costing about LE5bn.
Senna says costs of the development at al-Adabiya harbour have hit LE335mn. This includes a road, fences, new service facilities and a 350-metre service basin quay. Two tugboats and two launches have been delivered to operate at harbours at costs totalling LE110mn.
Electronic management systems are being employed at harbours in preparation for setting up ‘one stop shops’ to increase State resources through renegotiating and improving terms of standing contracts to reach a financial balance. This will increase resources by an average of EGP10bn, Senna says. He adds that some aspects of legislation and decisions on service fees have been revised since 2003 to increase State revenues.
Senna points out that the contract for a liquid bulk terminal at al-Sokhna Harbour over an area of 400,000 square metres has been signed. The contract was drawn up between the authority and Dubai Ports International during Egypt’s Economy Development Conference held in Sharm al-Sheikh. The project aims at increasing the revenues of the authority from loading and unloading and usufruct of the land by a billion US dollars and allocating 12 per cent of the company’s shares. The company is expected to pump in investments worth LE3bn over three years.
