(AFP Photo)
By Islam Atris
The General Authority for Red Sea Ports will soon determine its particulars of purchase for the Port Tawfik Northern Wharf, in preparation for an international tender operating on a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) scheme, according to Hassan Falah, the authority’s board of directors chairman.
The wharf will be constructed in two stages, he said, and will measure 780 metres in length and 10 meters in depth, and will be designed to be able to receive large cruise ships. Construction of the wharf will prevent ships from having to enter via the Sokhna port, and is expected to cost EGP350m.
He stated that another tender would soon be held for the construction of a tourism marina for yachts, located at the entrance of the port, which looks over the Suez Canal. The marina would also operate on a BOT scheme, and would be expected to cost a total of EGP200m, with the tender expected to be held before the end of the current fiscal year.
Falah stated that a new project to construct a large port in Safaga would also include further development of the Abu Tartour port, which specialises in the transport of dry bulk and the export of phosphate. The General Authority’s Engineering Department is currently in the process of planning the implementation and construction of the new port.
He stated that the authority would release a host of new tenders in the Safaga region once plans for such projects were completed within the next two months. The projects will seek to meet the authority’s needs in terms of being able to absorb and receive larger numbers of ships and freight.
A freight station is also set to be constructed within the Safaga port, however Falah stated that this new facility would not compete with its counterpart in the Sokhna port, currently being administered by Dubai Ports (DP) World.
The Authority has also decided to construct two freight trains capable of carrying 100 tons of freight at a cost of EGP120m, in addition to a third train capable of carrying 50 tons of freight at a cost of EGP30m, as part of the project.
