Walid Gamal El Din, Chairman of SCZone, and Tarek Hussein,
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sky Ports, signed the MoU. The memorandum
aims to conduct the studies required for establishing, operating, and
maintaining an integrated multi-purpose terminal at Ain Sokhna Port. The two
sides also signed a usufruct agreement for the use of a berth and land areas
for eighteen months until the completion of the technical studies.
The new terminal will include a 588-meter berth, a
250,000-square-meter logistics yard, and covered warehouses totaling 100,000
square meters within the Ain Sokhna industrial zone. The terminal will be
directly connected to an integrated customs yard that provides logistics
services to accelerate cargo handling and reduce vessel waiting times.
The terminal is expected to begin operations with an initial
handling capacity of at least two million tons annually. It will serve shipping
and trade routes to and from East Africa, the Gulf States, Saudi Arabia, the
Far East, and India. This will strengthen Ain Sokhna Port’s position as a
central hub for global trade.
Gamal El Din affirmed that the project represents a
significant step forward for the logistics services offered by Ain Sokhna Port.
He said the project strengthens integration between the port and the adjacent
industrial zone to support local and international supply chains. He added that
SCZone is working to enhance integration between its ports and industrial zones
through strategic partnerships with the local and international private sector.
He explained that these partnerships help reduce logistics costs, improve
loading, unloading, and storage efficiency, and support Egypt’s objectives to
become a regional hub for trade and maritime services. He noted that the
development works nearing completion at Ain Sokhna Port will provide
multi-purpose terminals to serve different activities and investors with higher
operational efficiency.
Hussein stated that the state’s efforts to develop Egyptian
ports on the Red Sea and the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal have
strengthened national port capabilities and created a promising investment
environment in this vital sector. He said the current period offers strong
potential for long-term investment in logistics services. He added that the
company aims to implement this vision at Ain Sokhna Port, building on its
successful experience operating the sustainable smart terminal in East Port
Said.
The signing comes as part of a comprehensive plan. The
memorandum outlines long-term strategic objectives, including the
establishment, operation, and maintenance of an integrated multi-purpose
terminal. The eighteen-month usufruct agreement represents an immediate
implementation step to use the berth until the completion of the project studies
and the signing of the final usufruct contract for the terminal.