SETTING THE STANDARD

State-of-the-art equipment has turned Sokhna into one of the world’s most sophisticated ports

When President Mubarak emphasized the need for Egypt’s ports to upgrade recently, there was no surprise when he held up Sokhna Port and Logistics Center as the model for others to copy.

Strategically placed on the west coast of the Red Sea, 25 miles south of Suez and 80 miles east of Cairo, Sokhna is Egypt’s newest port, and is positioned at the heart of one of the country’s most ambitious development projects: the Suez Special Economic Zone (SSEZ). The port is scheduled for development up to the year 2020, and when completed will be part of a huge economic and industrial zone extending over 22,000 acres.

Captain Ossama Al Sharif, President and CEO of Sokhna Port Development Company (SPDC), explains, “What we are creating is a trading zone with a port, heavy and light industries, a strategic distribution center and, as part of the future development, a fully-fledged city, with retail outlets, a developed infrastructure, and services.”
A deep-sea facility for the handling of liquids and bulk cargo, containers, break bulk, and general cargo, Sokhna has been designed to be the major port and logistics center south of the Suez Canal, serving the SSEZ, the Red Sea area, and the Greater Cairo Region. “We will achieve the highest standards and intend to maximize Egypt’s potential by integrating fully into global trade,” says Capt. Al Sharif.

The port has been in operation since 2002 and is already handling a healthy flow of business. Given favorable development of the Egyptian economy, cargo volumes passing through Sokhna are projected at 45 million tons by 2010, doubling to 90 million tons by 2020.

OSSAMA AL SHARIF President and CEO of Sokhna Port

Development of the port is on schedule. It boasts state-of-the-art equipment and has already won an enviable reputation for efficiency.

Sokhna is the first port in Egypt to offer a fully automated customs clearance procedure, using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for all transactions. “We are very proactive in obtaining the very latest technology and implementing it,” says Capt. Al Sharif. The objective is to make Sokhna “one of the most sophisticated ports in the world.”

The introduction of new equipment continues to raise the port’s performance. New Super Post Panamax gantry cranes, capable of handling the largest super container ships in the world, are due to be delivered in the summer and will dramatically boost the productivity of the container terminal.

Recently, the port signed a deal with several partners to establish a multi-million dollar biodiesel plant for the production of environmentally friendly fuel from renewable resources. Most of the production from the plant—the first of its kind in the Middle East—will be exported to the United States, Europe, and Asia.

The port has an advanced security system and has recently been negotiating with both the Maritime Safety Council and the U.S. Coastguard.

Capt. Al Sharif highlights the logistics center, which offers its customers streamlined and efficient supply chain operations.

“Ports are important for the entry and exit of goods, but they have also developed into logistical platforms and trading centers,” he says. “We are inviting multinationals to use Sokhna as their strategic distribution center for the area.”