Egypt Signs Contract with China to Boost Maritime Transport Capacity and Restore Fleet Strength

Egypt has signed a contract with China to build two new ships, one of which is a clean dry bulk ship, in order to increase its fleet to 16 ships. The goal is to reach 31 ships by the year 2030. The Minister of Transport, Lieutenant General Engineer Kamel Al-Wazir, oversaw the signing of the contract between the National Shipping Company, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Transport, and the Chinese shipyard “Hantung.”

The contract was signed by Mohamed Suleiman, Managing Director of the National Shipping Company, and Ming Xingjun, Chairman of Hantung. The specifications for one ship include a tonnage of 82 thousand tons, length of 229 meters, width of 32.26 meters, and draft of 14.5 meters. Both ships will be built in accordance with environmental standards and are expected for delivery in 2026.

“Hantung” is known as a top-notch shipyard that specializes in building clean dry bulk ships and has an impressive track record with over 148 ships constructed so far, including 49 currently under construction that total over 12.6 million tons. The minister emphasized the importance of this development for Egyptian maritime transport and highlighted it as a significant advancement towards restoring its fleet’s strength.

With these two new additions to its fleet, Egypt’s shipping capacity will exceed one million tons annually, allowing for more efficient transportation of strategic goods such as wheat. Over forty percent of its fleet’s strength will have been renewed within just three years due to this agreement between the National Shipping Company and Hantung Shipyard.