Tag: Kafr El-Sheikh

Assessment of supply proposals for EBSC project to be completed next month

The Egyptian Black Sand Company (EBSC) is set to complete the assessment of the technical proposals submitted by companies as part of the tender posed by the company to supply drilling equipment for a new project in Borollos, Kafr El-Sheikh, by next month.

A source at the company said that several international companies bought the requirements brochure, including Australian, Canadian, Chinese, US-American, and Dutch companies. According to the timetable of the tender, financial specifications will be presented by the end of next month. The best offer will be awarded the contract by mid-May.

The source explained that the EBSC signed a 20-year usufruct agreement with the Kafr El-Sheikh governorate for 50,000 feddans (51,890 acres) of land designated for establishing a black sand separation plant.

Moreover, the source noted that shareholders paid EGP 250m for the project, adding that the remaining sums will be raised in the coming period to pay for construction and equipment.

The EBSC was founded in February 2013 with a capital of EGP 1bn, and its board of directors includes a chairperson and eight members. The shareholders include five members of the National Service Products Organisation (NASPO) with a 61% share, as well as one member from the Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt with a 15% share, one member of the National Investment Bank with 12%, one member from the Kafr El-Sheikh governorate with 10%, and one member from the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority with 2%.

The extraction of economic minerals from the black sand in Borollos is a major project with huge expected revenues.

Sand is pulled up and processed to extract six minerals: ilmenite, magnetite, rutile, zircon, garnet and monazite. These minerals are bases for 100 types of basic, medium, and high technology industries, including ceramics, paints, high-quality water purification and treatment devices, advanced military industries, and transportation.

March 6, 2017
Kafr El-Sheikh governorate grants EBSC 50,000 feddans for usufruct for 20 years

The Egyptian Black Sand Company (EBSC) signed an usufruct agreement with Kafr El-Sheikh governorate for 50,000 feddans of land designated for establishing a black sand separation plant.

A source at the company said that the cost of the plant is $35m.

EBSC set 30 December as the deadline for global companies to obtain the brochure terms for supplying drilling machinery and equipment, the source added.

He explained that a tender will be posed—limited to 26 Australian, English, Canadian, Chinese, Indian, German, American, Dutch and Finnish companies. Any technical and financial envelopes received will be considered until the end of February 2017.

The EBSC was founded in February 2013 with a capital of EGP 1bn; the board of directors includes a chairperson and eight members. The shareholders include five members of the National Service Products Organisation (NASPO) with a 61% share, as well as one member from the Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt with a 15% share, one member of the National Investment Bank with 12%, one member from Kafr El-Sheikh governorate with 10%, and one member from the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority with 2%.

The extraction of economic minerals from the black sand in Borollos is a major project with huge revenues expected.

Sand is pulled up and processed to extract six minerals: ilmenite, magnetite, rutile, zircon, garnet and monazite. These minerals are bases for 100 types of basic, medium, and high technology industries, including ceramics, paints, high-quality water purification and treatment devices, advanced military industries, and transportation.

According to the feasibility study conducted by the Australian Mineral Technology Company, the investment cost of the separation plant amounts to $120m, while annual operational costs register $45. On the other hand, net profit after deducting tax could reach $45m.

December 8, 2016
14 Egyptians arrested while attempting to cross Mediterranean

The Egyptian Coast Guard on Friday foiled an attempt by 14 Egyptians trying to illegally immigrate to Italy from Edco City by way of the Mediterranean Sea, according to state media.

The security forces caught the group while they were boarding an illegal boat, and informed the prosecution to investigate the case.

The investigation found that the defendants agreed to pay EGP 30,000 to two individuals to assist them with crossing the Mediterranean.

On Thursday, Egyptian border guards recovered nine bodies that drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean near the Nile Delta governorate of Kafr EL-Sheikh, northern Egypt.

Many illegal immigrants have risked their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. Hundreds of Egyptian nationals have been repatriated from Italy following coordination with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

In January, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) reported that 98% of Egyptian young males are more likely to emigrate to improve their living conditions with the hope of finding jobs with higher salaries so they can start a family and afford living requirements.

In October 2015, Minister of Justice Ahmed Al-Zind said, before his dismissal in March, that Egypt will launch a special court for illegal migration and human trafficking crimes. The Egyptian cabinet then approved in November 2015 an illegal migration law targeting people-smugglers with long prison sentences–including life sentences–along with heavy fines ranging from EGP 50,000 to EGP 200,000.

Hundreds of Egyptians were arrested in recent months for attempting to illegally migrate to Europe. Egypt was criticised and condemned by several local and international right groups and countries for not limiting the phenomenon.

July 9, 2016
Military court approves death sentences for 7 in Kafr El-Sheikh stadium case

The Alexandria Military Court approved the death sentences Wednesday for seven defendants the Kafr El-Sheikh stadium case; a bomb blast took the lives of three military academy students neat the stadium in April 2015.

Of the seven, three were sentenced in absentia. Five defendants were sentenced to life in prison, two to 15 years in prison, and two others to three years in prison. The sixteen defendants were put on trial for charges of murder, committing acts of terror, and for belonging the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

The incident led to the deaths of three military academy students due to injuries sustained from the resulting blast of an improvised explosive device (IED) that targeted a bus carrying military academy students near Kafr El-Sheikh Stadium. Six other students were injured.

The “No to Military Trials for Civilians” group issued a statement in anticipation of the verdict calling for “annulment of death sentences already passed and reconsideration of any imminent death sentences by military trials against civilians, and the retrial of all civilians before a civilian judge with all guarantees for serving justice”.

Eight defendants are awaiting the same fate as the West Cairo Military Court is set to approve their death sentences on 13 March in the “specialised intelligence committee” case.

The eight defendants were sentenced as part of a larger trial wherein 28 defendants are charged with planning to assassinate army personnel, sabotaging electrical and communication infrastructure, and operating under the auspices of the international direction of the Muslim Brotherhood, according to the prosecution.

The phenomenon of referring civilians before military prosecution and courts has risen dramatically since the issuance of law No. 136/2014. The law, widely condemned by civil rights NGOs, stated that public buildings and facilities including “electricity networks and stations, gas pipes, oil fields, railways, road and bridge networks, as well as other buildings, utilities and public property and anything that is considered as such” are under the “security and protection” of the military judiciary.

“Through that law, thousands of civilians were referred to military prosecution, including hundreds of university students in light of incidents that occurred within university campus under the claim that universities are vital institutions that fall under the aforementioned jurisdiction,” according to “No to Military Trials for Civilians”.

March 5, 2016
2 municipality officials referred to trial over Kafr El-Sheikh boat crisis

The Administrative Prosecution referred two municipality officials in Kafr El-Sheikh to urgent trial Tuesday over the ferry crisis that killed 17 people in December.

Head of the river navigation authority in the municipality of Fouh city and head of the navigation and navigational licenses unit in the same municipality will stand trial, facing charges of negligence that led to the accident.

On 31 December, a Nile boat that had a maximum capacity of eight passengers, according to its licence, sailed from Sendeon village, carrying over three times its capacity, before it sank and killed 17 passengers.

Head of the Administrative Prosecution Sameh Kamal ordered an immediate investigation into the case following the incident, suspecting a possible “act of negligence”.

The prosecution also filed a memorandum to the Ministry of Interior Tuesday with the findings of the investigation “to run its procedure on what has been reported as negligence from the officials of the maritime police”.

The accident reopened the controversial issue of the “ferries of death”, titled as such for being the site of numerous fatal incidents on the Nile. The ferries connect the two banks of the Nile and offer transportation, especially in villages, to those wanting to cross to the other side, including students, patients, employees, and traders.

Most of the accidents occur due to the overload of passengers, who use the ferry despite the lack of safety, due to an absence of alternative transportation. Under the current law, the maximum punishment is an EGP 100 fine for operating a boat without a licence or carrying goods or passengers that go above the specified passenger limit.

Some 35 people were killed when a barge collided with a cruise boat in July 2015, which sank the smaller boat in the area of Warraq in Giza. Around 40 government officials are currently standing trial on charges of negligence.

January 26, 2016
5 officials detained after Kafr El-Sheikh ferry sinking

The Kafr El-Sheikh prosecution unit detained five government officials in the local city council on Sunday night to determine their responsibility in Thursday’s ferry sinking, which has killed 17 people.

The prosecution summoned the river police officer who was on duty the day of the sinking, but did not detain him.

The ferry was travelling from the village of Sendeon to the village of Rahamnea. It is still not known whether the accident was due to unforeseen weather conditions or a technical malfunction.

The prosecution said that the officials were from the Navigation Authority and the Office for Boat Licensing. They will be detained and investigated to see whether they were responsible for the “negligence” spotted by the preliminary investigations of the prosecution.

The detention order was issued by the prosecution after a technical committee concluded that that the licence of the boat was expired.

Newly-appointed Governor of Kafr El-Sheikh, Al-Sayed Nasr suspended the officials at the Office for Boat Licensing, accusing them of negligence.

The officials are to return to their posts once the investigations conclude, Nasr said.

The number of passengers originally onboard the ferry is still unknown. So far, five passengers were rescued from the sinking ship, while the bodies of the 17 who died were recovered from the water.

The prosecution ordered the burial of bodies, which were received by the grieving relatives. The rescued passengers were transferred to the nearest hospital to receive medical attention.

On Saturday, the Administrative Prosecution ordered an immediate investigation of the case after suspecting a possible “act of negligence”

Although the reason of the accident is still unknown, Minister of Local Development Ahmed Zaki Badr said Saturday that the ferry was supposed to carry seven people only, and had an expired licence.

Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali ordered another EGP 10,000 for the relatives of the dead passengers.

In July, the boat collided with a barge off Al-Warraq Island in the Nile River in Giza, leaving 15 dead and five injured initially. However, the death toll rose to 38 in the following days.

Following the accident, then-prime minister Ibrahim Mehleb issued a series of decisions, including the temporary halt of any activity by barges in Cairo from sunset to sunrise until further notice. Mehleb also allocated EGP 60,000 for the family of each victim killed and EGP 10,000 for the injured.

January 3, 2016
Egypt to investigate Kafr El-Sheikh ferry crisis, offer compensations

The death toll in the Kafr El-Sheikh ferry sinking rose to 17 the health ministry announced Saturday.

The transportation ferry sank Thursday night for reasons that are yet to be determined.

Head of the Administrative Prosecution Sameh Kamal ordered an immediate investigation of the case on Saturday, after suspecting a possible “act of negligence” by officials at the Nile River Control Authority and the Office for Boat Licencing.

Five passengers were rescued from the sinking ship, while the bodies of the 17 who died were recovered from the water. The number of passengers originally on board the ferry is still unknown.

The prosecution ordered the burial of bodies, which were received by the grieving relatives. The rescued passengers were transferred to the nearest hospital to receive medical attention.

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail ordered Friday an investigation into the incident, calling upon officials in the Kafr El-Sheikh governorate to “ensure the application of safety regulations” for boats and ferries.

Although the reason of the accident still unknown, Minister of Local Development Ahmed Zaki Badr said Saturday that the ferry was supposed to carry seven people only, and had an expired licence.

The newly-appointed governor of Kafr El-Sheikh, Al-Sayed Nasr, ordered compensation of EGP 10,000 be dispensed to the family of each victim, while EGP 5,000 would be dispensed to those injured in the accident. Further, Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali ordered another EGP 10,000 for the relatives of the dead passengers.

Wali added that the families of the deceased will receive “aid and assistance”.

The ferry was traveling from the village of Sendeon to the village of Rahamnea. It is still not known whether the accident was due to unforeseen weather conditions or a technical malfunction.

Thursday’s accident reopens the controversial case of the “ferries of death”, titled as such for being the site of numerous fatal incidents on the Nile.

The ferries link the two banks of the Nile, offering transportation, especially in villages, to those wanting to cross to the other side, including students, patients, employees and traders.

Most of the accidents occur due to the overload of passengers, who prefer the ferry, despite lack of safety, due to an absence of alternative transportation methods such as bridges.

Under the current law, the maximum punishment is an EGP 100 fine for operating a boat without a license or carrying goods or passengers that go above the specified passenger limit.

“Accidents occur on an almost monthly basis, but citizens and those passing by save the situation. Every day, there can be a new accident where hundreds of lives can be lost,” said Mohamed Al-Shater, a government employee from Assiut.

Al-Shater takes a ferry to the other side of the Nile every day to reach his destination. “There is a bridge, but it is very far from where I live. The issue with these ferries is that the drivers can sometimes be children, or people who are not registered by the government,” he added, noting that the river police pass by them without arresting them.

Commenting on this issue, the ministry of interior said on Saturday that river police continues to conduct raids on “illegal boats used to deliver citizens across the two banks of the Nile”.

Al-Shater said the accident will not be the last as “the policies of governorates don’t change. The media will follow up on the case for a month or two then nothing will change.”

Last July, 35 people were killed when a barge collided with a cruise boat, sinking the smaller boat in the area of Warraq in Giza. Currently 40 government officials are standing trial on charges of negligence.

January 2, 2016
‘El-Maknasa’ storm begins in Alexandria, Beheria and Kafr El-Sheikh

By Sarah El-Sheikh

A storm, dubbed the ‘El-Maknasa’ storm, began on Monday in Alexandria, Beheira and Kafr El-Sheikh, with heavy rains and thunderstorms that flooded the streets.

The storm led, to power cuts in a number of areas and cities in Beheria, and the shutting down of the Borollos port in Kafr El-Sheikh.

Meanwhile, the three governorates are still suffering the consequences of floods that occurred in early November.

In Alexandria, water suction cars were sent to absorb the accumulated water in numerous streets and districts and under the bridges. Executive workers are still continuing maintenance work in the drainage system to effectively handle the situation in the three governorates.

Furthermore, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hossam Moghazi went on tour to Alexandria on Monday to check on the maintenance work and to confirm the drainage system’s efficiency to confront the predicted heavy rains in the upcoming days, according to a ministry statement.

Moghazi highlighted that the drainage systems were modified and prepared to receive more amounts of accumulated waters in Alexandria and that 130 violations were dealt with.

Last week, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker announced that the power will be switched off during heavy rainfall to avoid electric shocks, which recently caused the deaths of several people during floods in Beheira and Alexandria.

Also last week, Governor of Beheira Mohamed Sultan visited Affouna town in Wadi El-Natrun and ordered the construction of a residential village in Affouna, equipped with all the necessary services, on state lands located in Beheira.

Eighteen people were killed in Alexandria and Beheira due electrocution from fallen power cables during the floods.

November 16, 2015
4 young Egyptians named among dead migrants

Four Egyptians have been identified among the bodies of 10 migrants who were on a boat that capsized this Saturday attempting to cross the Mediterranean.

A rescue team recovered the 10 bodies and rescued 25 others from the boat, which reportedly capsized due to overcrowding off the coast of Borollos village in the Delta governorate of Kafr El-Sheikh. It is understood the boat was heading to travel to Italy.

The migrants included Egyptians, Syrians and Iraqis, local authorities told press. The boat was originally carrying 45 people; 10 bodies were lost at sea and not recovered.

Zidane Minshawi, Director-General of the Kafr El-Sheikh public hospital, said the four dead Egyptian individuals have been named as: Ahmed Abdel Muti Abu Khalil (18) and Islam Magdy Gameel (17) both from Mansoura in Daqahlia; Osama Mahmoud Mohamed Schweeh (18) from Belbees in Sharqia; and Abdul Rahman Mahmoud Ibrahim El-Ashri (20) from Taakha in Daqahlia.

The owner of the boat was also arrested; he has been identified as coming from the town of Edku in Beheira.

The bodies of those identified will now returned to their families, Minshawi told local press. Meanwhile, investigations with the 25 individuals recovered are ongoing.

The recovered bodies also included three children and a woman, who were transferred to Kafr El-Sheikh General Morgue, and the injured were transferred to Balteem Central Hospital.

In September, the International Organisation for Migration announced that 62% of irregular (illegal) migrants that Italy receives are Egyptian minors. Italy has a policy of returning migrants back to their home countries if they are of adult-age and not in clear danger.

Head of the IOM Egypt office Amr Taha said in an interview with Aswat Masriya that Italy received 4,000 Egyptian migrants in 2014, of whom 2,000 were minors without their parents or relatives.

High unemployment rates and regional political instability are among the factors that push migrants to cross the Mediterranean. Egypt has recently introduced stricter legislation to imprison smugglers, in an attempt to break the business of the migration.

In September, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “grave concern” over the treatment of refugees in European countries, and called on them to “live up to their responsibilities, consistent with their international obligations” on receiving and protecting refugees fleeing from dire humanitarian and security crises.

However, it has also faced condemnation too. For instance, Amnesty International recently criticised the use of using a “shoot-to-stop” policy to halt migrant convoys. Policies of deportations and mass returns to countries where refugees may face persecution, as well as extended periods of detention, have been highlighted by critics.

Many migrants who are apprehended are detained for extended and arbitrary periods of time. In one example, 73 Syrian and Palestinian refugees were held at Karmooz police station in Alexandria, after their boat, which left from Turkey for Italy, was taken to the Egyptian coast.

The refugees were investigated by the Prosecutor General, who ordered their release and dropped charges against them on 5 November. However, the refugees, including 15 children, were held at Karmooz police station without charge until their June release.

October 13, 2015
Ministry of Antiquities operating with 90% loss of funds

The Ministry of Antiquities has suffered a 90% drop in its funds and is operating with a large budget deficit, Minister Mamdouh Damati said Saturday, posing a risk to its ability to function effectively.

The severe reduction in the ministry’s annual income from EGP 1.3bn to EGP 125m is negatively affecting the repair and construction of museums and repair work on archaeological monuments. The ministry relies entirely on self-financing through various projects, state news reported Damati as saying.

During a press conference Saturday to inaugurate the EGP 20m Kafr El-Sheikh antiquities museum, Minister Damati spoke alongside local governor Osama Abdel Wahed, adding that since 2011 an extra 7,000 employees were hired, bringing the ministry’s staff to 39,000 individuals, whose salaries total EGP 72m.

Damati said that the newly inaugurated Kafr El-Sheikh museum, which was initially approved in 1992, remains incomplete, requiring a further EGP 20m to bring the institution to finish.

Revenues from ticket sales to museums and monuments have dropped significantly, said Damati, and tenants renting 289 ministry bazaars and gift shops have not paid rent since 2011.

The ministry now primarily relies on cooperation with foreign nations, such as selling replica antiquities and exhibitions outside Egypt. Last month Paris played host to an exhibition of sunken Egyptian antiquities, a show is also planned next week in Tokyo called ‘the builders of the Pyramids’.

Minister Damati said that his department’s most pressing priorities are the stalled projects such as the long delayed Grand Egyptian Museum, also initially planned in 1992. The date scheduled for the $700m, 117 acre construction to open has been put back numerous times and now stands at 2018, as the ministry has failed to secure the total funding.

In related news, work began Saturday on the restoration of the death mask of King Tutankhamen, after the beard was broken and reattached unprofessionally with basic glue.

The sloppy reattachment provoked outrage and ridicule worldwide, however in January, the antiquities ministry announced with restoration expert Christian Eckmann that the epoxy glue could be removed and the famous antique could be restored.

A joint German-Egyptian restoration team will move the mask to another location within the museum to undertake the restoration work on the 3,300 year old burial mask.

October 11, 2015