Sunday 02/Mar/2025 – 12:46 PM
Dr. Amr Al -Samadouni, Secretary General of the International Transport Division and Logistics in the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, stressed that the signing of an agreement to destroy and build ships in Damietta port will contribute to increasing the volume of maritime trade in Egypt, which will make it more useful for the Egyptian economy, as the agreement will increase government revenues by enhancing investments in the maritime sector, in addition to developing the port’s infrastructure to be more efficient and effective.
The Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport has signed a memorandum of understanding with AB Moller – Merck A / S, with the aim of extinguishing ships, building new ships, and carrying out planned and standing repair work in Damietta Port.
Al -Smadouni said in a press statement to him today that the agreement is integrating with the signing of the Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport and Al -Wahda Industrial Development Company last December, to establish a company to manage the first project of its kind in the Arab region and at the level of Arab and African countries, aimed at extinguishing ships and building new ships, and implementing the ship reform work, whether planned or emergency.
Maximizing cooperation with the private sector
Al -Smadouni pointed out that the signing comes within the framework of the implementation of presidential directives to maximize cooperation with the private sector in various projects. Cooperating with local and international companies in the field of responsible recycling of ships is also done according to international standards such as the Hong Kong Convention for the Recycling of Ships and the Basel Convention on the Transportation of Dangerous Waste, which helps to protect the environment and maximize the benefit from resources.
He added that Egypt produces about 8 million tons of reinforcing steel annually, while the productive capacity of licensed iron factories is about 16 million tons, due to the lack of scrap in the local market, where about 1.5 million tons of scrap are arranged annually from the local market.
Al -Smadouni called for the development of the port to keep pace with the increasing needs, noting that he faces strong competition from other ports in the region, as well as the impact of climate changes on navigation operations.
It is noteworthy that Damietta Port is one of the most important and vital Egyptian ports, as it plays a pivotal role in the World Trade movement thanks to its strategic location on the Mediterranean, about 10 kilometers west of the Damietta branch of the Nile River. The port extends over an area of 11.8 square kilometers, making it a major center for trade and maritime transport.
