40 سفينة بحلول 2030.. مصر تعيد بناء أسطولها التجاري

Egypt is moving to expand its maritime cooperation with China by exploring the establishment of a specialized ship repair yard within Egyptian territory, in a step aimed at supporting the shipbuilding industry and enhancing local maintenance and repair capabilities, coinciding with Cairo's plan to increase the size of its commercial fleet and enhance its capacity to transport a larger share of the country's foreign trade.

The project was proposed during the visit of Egyptian Transport Minister Lieutenant General Kamel El-Wazir to China, where he witnessed the handover ceremony of two new vessels of the "KAMSARMAX" class to the National Navigation Company, reflecting Egypt's direction towards modernizing its commercial fleet and enhancing its presence in international maritime corridors.

Egypt Receives the "Wadi Al-Nile" and "Wadi Al-Qamar" Vessels

The Egyptian Transport Minister attended the handover ceremony of the two new vessels "Wadi Al-Nile" and "Wadi Al-Qamar" from the Chinese "New Hantong" shipyard, in the presence of Mohamed Suleiman Metwally, the Managing Director of the National Navigation Company, and Ming Chengjun, Chairman of the Chinese shipyard.

Kamel El-Wazir confirmed that the entry of the two vessels into service represents a qualitative leap in the modernization of the Egyptian commercial fleet, noting that the number of vessels in the National Navigation Company has increased to 16 after receiving them.

He explained that the choice of the names "Wadi Al-Nile" and "Wadi Al-Qamar" carries significance related to Egypt's geography and identity, as the two vessels will carry the name of Egypt to various ports and maritime corridors around the world.

Egypt Requests Acceleration of New Vessel Deliveries

During the meeting with the Chinese side, the Transport Minister requested the Chairman of the "New Hantong" shipyard to expedite the delivery date of the seventeenth and eighteenth vessels, "Wadi Al-Natroun" and "Wadi Al-Alaqi," aiming for the target date to be the end of 2027 instead of the end of 2028.

The minister also requested to accelerate the manufacturing of four new vessels with different capacities designated for container transport, as part of a plan aimed at diversifying the capabilities of the Egyptian fleet and enhancing its participation in foreign trade transport.

The National Navigation Company had signed a contract in June 2025 to build two new vessels, each with a capacity of 82,000 tons, to be delivered by the end of 2028, bringing the total cooperation program with the Chinese shipyard to the construction of five modern vessels.

Egyptian Shipyard for Ship Repair

In a notable development, the Egyptian Transport Minister proposed to the Chinese side cooperation in implementing a project to establish a specialized ship repair yard for commercial vessels in Egypt, similar to the "New Hantong" shipyard.

The project aims to support and develop Egypt's capabilities in shipbuilding and repair, reducing reliance on external repair centers, thereby enhancing the capabilities of the Egyptian maritime transport sector and supporting plans to transform the country into a regional hub for transport, logistics, and transit trade.

This proposal comes within a broader framework of Egyptian-Chinese cooperation in the transport sector, which includes the development of ports, multi-purpose terminals, container terminals, investment in dry ports and logistics areas, as well as railways, mass transport, localizing the manufacturing of transport components and means, digital transformation, and the development of smart and green ports.

Egyptian-Chinese Cooperation in Shipbuilding

The cooperation between the National Navigation Company and the "New Hantong" shipyard dates back to 2024, when the Egyptian company received the "Wadi Al-Arish," a dry bulk carrier of the "KAMSARMAX" class with a capacity of 82,000 tons.

In April 2024, contracts were signed for the construction of "Wadi Al-Nile" and "Wadi Al-Qamar" of the same model and capacity, before they were delivered during the current visit of the Egyptian Transport Minister.

The two vessels feature a length of 229 meters, a width of 32.26 meters, and a draft of up to 14.5 meters, relying on modern technologies aimed at improving operational efficiency and fuel consumption.

Egypt Aims for 40 Vessels by 2030

The modernization process of the National Navigation Company is part of a broader plan by the Egyptian Ministry of Transport aimed at increasing the number of vessels fully owned by the ministry's affiliated companies to 40 vessels by 2030.

The targeted companies include the National Navigation Company, the Arab Bridge Maritime Company, Cairo Ferries, and the Egyptian Company for Oil Tankers.

The plan aims to enhance the capacity of the Egyptian commercial fleet to transport about 30 million tons of various goods annually and increase the contribution of vessels flying the Egyptian flag in carrying a larger share of the country's foreign trade.

Development of Egyptian Ports

Supporting the commercial fleet is linked to a comprehensive Egyptian plan to develop the maritime transport sector, aimed at enhancing the country's position as a regional hub for transport, logistics, and transit trade.

The plan includes the development of Egyptian ports on the Red and Mediterranean Seas and the establishment of five new ports, raising the number of Egyptian commercial ports to 19, along with increasing port areas to about 100 million square meters.

It also includes the addition of new docks with a total length of up to 70 kilometers, with depths ranging between 18 and 25 meters, in addition to deepening navigational channels and developing the fleet of marine tugs.

The Transport Minister confirmed that cooperation with China in the field of shipbuilding represents an important model of partnership between the two countries, noting that Egyptian-Chinese relations have developed over the past decades to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership, with the expansion of economic and developmental cooperation fields.