Egypt's Sokhna Port 10 Million Ton Freight Terminal Begins Trial Operations

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 15, Egypt's Ministry of Transport announced that Phase I of the general cargo and dry bulk terminal at Sokhna Port has begun trial operations. The first general cargo vessel, GAMBELLA, berthed at the terminal and completed the discharge and cargo handling of 1,460 tons of battery units for an energy storage system. The terminal is planned to have an annual throughput capacity of approximately 10 million tons, and is currently being operated by the Egyptian Maritime Ports Company.

The new terminal's cargo handling area covers a total area of approximately 397,000 square meters, with 2 maritime berths, a total shoreline length of approximately 1,200 meters, and a maximum water depth of 18 meters, capable of accommodating large cargo vessels and handling general cargo and dry bulk. The first vessel's discharge was carried out by Suez Stevedoring Company, and the trial operations covered vessel berthing, cargo unloading, transfer, and storage.

The 1,460 tons of cargo loaded on GAMBELLA consisted of battery units for an energy storage system. After the first vessel entered the terminal, the project began conducting actual operational tests on the berths, storage yards, loading and unloading equipment, personnel, and operating systems, and will gradually transition to full operations thereafter.

In the next phase, the Egyptian Maritime Ports Company will also advance the construction of the remaining areas of the terminal, including customs warehouses and cargo value-added service facilities, and will gradually expand the terminal's actual usable area until it reaches the planned handling capacity of approximately 10 million tons per year.

In March of this year, the Egyptian Maritime Ports Company and the Suez Canal Economic Zone signed an operating license agreement for Berth 22 at Sokhna Port, permitting general cargo and clean dry bulk loading, unloading, and storage operations within 18 months, while also signing follow-up cooperation arrangements for terminal expansion.

Sokhna Port is located on the Gulf of Suez, with a total port area of approximately 23 square kilometers, a basin entrance width of approximately 680 meters, and a water depth of 17 meters. The existing container terminal in the port area has a designed annual handling capacity of approximately 1.1 million TEU, and the second container terminal has a designed capacity of approximately 1.8 million TEU. With the general cargo and dry bulk terminal entering trial operations, the port area has added bulk and breakbulk cargo handling capacity.