Egypt’s Ministry of Transport plans to finalize a management and operations agreement for Galala tourist marina with Egypt-based company Nautix Ltd. before the end of the first half of 2025, according to a ministry official familiar with the yacht file.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agreement grants Nautix a 15-year renewable concession to operate the 143,000-square-meter Red Sea marina. Under the proposed revenue-sharing model, which comes into effect after two years, the company will receive 40% of annual revenues and the ministry 60%.
“The company will undertake minor expansions and maintenance valued at up to 20 million Egyptian pounds,” the source said. “It will also work to attract international yacht traffic, targeting a minimum 10% year-on-year increase in visitor volumes.”
The deal is part of Egypt’s broader policy to deepen public-private partnerships to boost the local yacht tourism sector, the source added.
Nautix submitted technical and financial proposals that won approval from the Ministry of Transportation. Final sign-off now awaits clearance from other government agencies. Once the contract is signed, Nautix will assume on-site operations and begin phased refurbishments before welcoming yachts.
Adding to this, the source indicated that “the ministry has stepped up efforts to grow Egypt’s yacht tourism market.” Last year, it authorized the use of 47 islands as alternative ports to expand yacht access, which had previously been restricted to coastal marinas.
Egypt currently has 23 tourist marinas, with 14 on the Red Sea and nine along the Mediterranean.
In July 2023, the Transport Ministry launched a “single-digital window” to streamline yacht-related permits. Processing times were cut from 30 days to under 30 minutes.
Last October, the ministry’s maritime transport and logistics sector mandated that foreign-flagged yachts refuel using hard currency pegged to global market rates. The directive was circulated to all relevant agencies.
