Al-Wazir announced the figures during Egypt’s World Maritime Day celebration in Alexandria, held under the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2026 theme, “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence.”
The minister said cargo and container traffic rose in 2025 despite regional geopolitical tensions, reflecting successful investment in container and multipurpose terminals. He added that the rise in traffic also reflects successful partnerships with international shipping lines and terminal operators.
Egypt also ranked 19th globally in the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI), up from 23rd in 2024, placing first in Africa and second among Arab countries, Al-Wazir said.
The UN shipping index measures countries’ integration into global liner shipping networks using indicators including ship calls, container-handling capacity, shipping services, vessel size, and direct connections to other countries.
The government aims to place Egypt among the world’s top 15 countries on the index by 2030 by expanding port infrastructure and operational capacity and attracting major shipping lines, including Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), and CMA CGM, the minister added.
Al-Wazir said Egypt is developing eight international logistics and development corridors linking Mediterranean and Red Sea ports and the Suez Canal with dry ports and industrial, agricultural, and mining areas.
The corridors are being connected through the national railway network, the high-speed electric railway, and the country’s motorway system to reduce cargo-handling time and costs and strengthen Egypt’s links with the Gulf, the Levant, Africa, Asia, and northern, eastern, and central Europe.
They comprise the Arish–Taba, Sokhna–Alexandria, Safaga–Qena–Abu Tartour, Cairo–Alexandria, Tanta–Mansoura–Damietta, Jarjoub–El-Salloum, Cairo–Aswan–Abu Simbel, and Berenice–Aswan–East Owainat–Kufra–N’Djamena corridors.
The final route forms part of the broader Berenice–Douala logistics corridor, intended to connect Egypt’s Red Sea coast with landlocked African markets.
“The value of policies is measured by their ability to produce a tangible impact on the maritime sector’s efficiency and sustainability and its capacity to keep pace with global changes,” Al-Wazir explained.
Egypt’s location has made it a central route for global trade, he added, prompting the government to treat maritime transport as a key component of its economic development strategy and its drive to become a regional transport, logistics, and transit-trade hub.
Under the port development plan, Egypt intends to establish five new commercial ports, bringing the total to 19, while expanding their combined area to 100 million square metres.
The plan includes adding 70 kilometres of berths with depths ranging from 18 to 25 metres, raising the total berth length to more than 100 kilometres. It also calls for constructing 35 kilometres of breakwaters, bringing the total to 50 kilometres.
The government is also developing navigational channels and a maritime tugboat fleet, targeting 80 tugboats with bollard-pull capacities of 70–90 tons.
Several new facilities have already entered trial or commercial operation, including the Ain Sokhna terminal, as the government seeks to increase port capacity and attract more transit cargo.
Al-Wazir said the ministry is also implementing a plan to expand Egypt’s commercial fleet to approximately 40 ships by 2030, capable of carrying 30 million tons of goods annually.
The National Navigation Company, Egyptian Tanker Company, Cairo Ferry Company, and Arab Bridge Maritime are implementing the plan.
Egypt’s commercial fleet expansion has included adding new cargo vessels operating under the Egyptian flag.
On environmental policy, Al-Wazir said Egypt is pursuing a green transition through environmentally sustainable ports, shore-to-ship electricity, low-emission marine fuels, and green hydrogen projects, in line with the IMO’s strategy to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
He also highlighted Alexandria’s role as host of the IMO regional office serving Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa, which supports technical cooperation, capacity-building, knowledge exchange, and implementation of the organization’s conventions.
Egypt remains committed to international maritime agreements, legislative and institutional development, personnel training and digitalization, Al-Wazir said, adding that its participation in IMO bodies and technical committees culminated in its re-election to the organization’s council.
The Maritime Transport Sector organized Sunday’s event, which featured a recorded address by IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez and a film reviewing the development of Egypt’s maritime transport sector.
Source: Ahram Online.
