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The Egypt-Italy rpo-ro shipping line connecting Damietta Port with Italy’s Port of Trieste kicked off operations last Thursday with its first shipment setting sail, according to a statement released on Thursday. The new line reduces the time to send goods between the two ports to two and a half days, down from a previous six, and is expected to increase container traffic between Mediterranean ports by 3.5% annually until 2027.
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The first shipment: A ship — dubbed Olympos Seaways — arrived in Damietta carrying 118 containers, transport trailers, and equipment with a total weight of 743.5 tons. The ship was then loaded with 10 containers and 11 trucks carrying fruits and vegetables and clothing bound for the Port of Trieste. Egypt’s first shipment to Italy is due to arrive on Wednesday.
What’s the schedule? The ship will arrive at Damietta every Thursday at 3 pm and depart back to Trieste loaded with Egyptian products every Friday at 10 am every Friday with an arrival time of 10 am every Monday. The ship will then depart Trieste at 6 pm bound for Egypt.
The line will focus on transporting perishable agricultural goods, including fruits to Italy and the rest of Europe, taking advantage of the reduced shipping and “enhancing the competitiveness of Egypt’s exports in these markets,” according to Egyptian Industry Minister Kamel El Wazir.
There’s more: The line will see a dedicated freight space to transport Egyptian goods to the Dutch city of Rotterdam by rail, which will then be shipped to cities in Holland, Belgium, and the UK. It will also see a ship make a return journey to Trieste every week.
Strategizing exports: Incentives have been put in place to try to persuade companies to send goods though the route, with a 88% reduction in port fees — provided that Trieste does the same — and reducing the USD 300 traffic fee for ingoing trucks and USD 350 for outgoing trucks to a flat USD 100 for both.
We first heard of this earlier this year: Egypt’s Transport Ministry signed several agreements with Italy back in January to launch operations by 1H 1024 for the a ro-ro line, in a bid to facilitate entry and exit procedures for trucks, reducing port stay times. Egyptian and Italian ministers of finance, transport, and trade and industry also signed an MoU to enhance the transport of goods, reduce transportation costs and slash travel time between the two countries.
A NEW ADDITION TO EGYPT’S TRANSPORT FLEET-
Egypt also saw an addition to its commercial maritime fleet, — the Wadi Al Arish — Madbouly said at the inauguration of the line, according to a separate cabinet statement released on Thursday. The 82k ton-capacity ship is part of wider goals to increase the fleet from 15 to 36 vessels by 2030, capable of transporting 25 mn tons of goods annually, Madbouly said in another statement.
The transport ministry is also contracting to build two ships of the same model and tonnage to be received in 2026, Madbouly said without specifying any other details.
IN OTHER MARITIME NEWS-
Danish shipping giant Maersk is reportedly nearing completion of the first phase of its second container terminal at East Port Said port, with operations slated to begin in 1Q 2025, an unnamed official told Al Mal on Thursday. The terminal’s expansion — valued at USD 1.5 bn — aims to boost the terminal’s handling capacity and offer more advanced logistics services.
Expansions and enhancements: The project involves developing 1.2k meters-long quays and extensive container storage facilities to enhance operational efficiency at the port. The container terminal — once completed — will be able to handle some 3.5 mn TEUs per year to expand the port’s capacity and will be capable of handling ultra–large container vessels in a bid to facilitate container traffic and reduce vessel waiting periods.
REMEMBER- The Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) — majority-owned by Maersk’s APM Terminals — signed a contract back in 2022 with the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) to build and operate a second container terminal at the port. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) was considering last year to provide a loan of up to USD 175 mn to help the Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) expand its existing container terminal at East Port Said port.
