Minister of Transport Kamel al-Wazir stated Wednesday that there is a plan to raise the number of vessels of the state-owned commercial fleet to 31 up from 14 by 2030 making its total annual capacity 20 million tons, in order to enhance the import process of strategic goods.

In three years, almost 40 percent of the 12 older vessels will be overhauled, as two new container ships were delivered in June 2023 and January 2024. Each has a capacity of 82,000 tons of cargo, and their names are Wadi El Melouk and Wadi El Arish, respectively.

The minister’s statements came during the signing of a contract with Jiangsu Hantong Group for it to build two bulk carriers. The dimensions of each are 229 meters in length, 32.26 meters in width, 14.5 meters in draft, and 82,000 tons in capacity. The delivery date is 2026.

Egypt Today