Egypt’s Transport Ministry poised to sign two major infrastructure contracts Tuesday to upgrade the Damietta and Taba ports, with a total investment of 12.25 billion Egyptian pounds ($395 million). Yet unannounced local Egyptian contractors are expected to be the deals' second party, a senior ministry official told Al Manassa.
The first deal covers the construction of a 6,920-meter western breakwater at Damietta Port, valued at 10 billion pounds. The Damietta Port Authority will fund the project from its own resources, the official explained.
The new breakwater is expected to significantly reduce annual dredging expenses and curb silt accumulation, according to the ministry source, making the port more accessible to mega vessels and boosting its operating efficiency, he added.
The second project entails building a new marine berth at Taba Port, according to the official, will cost around 2 billion pounds. The Red Sea Ports Authority, which owns the port, will commission a local Egyptian contractor for the job.
Both projects are slated for completion within two years. The new ports infrastructure will be part of a national strategy to bolster maritime logistics and ease trade congestion through expanded capacity and upgraded facilities.
In parallel, the ministry plans to finalize several other infrastructure agreements during the ongoing TransMEA 2025 expo in Cairo. Chief among them is the fourth phase of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project serving the New Administrative Capital, to be implemented in partnership with Chinese firms AVIC INTL and MBEC.
This phase will span 16 kilometers, from New Obour City to the New Capital Center station, stretching farther east of central Cairo. The Chinese partners will manage all electrical, mechanical, signaling, and control systems, while Egyptian companies will be responsible for civil engineering work, including platforms, tracks, and stations.
Meanwhile, the National Authority for Tunnels is continuing construction of the third phase of the LRT, in collaboration with AVIC, Arab Contractors, and Orascom Construction. That segment stretches 20.4 kilometers across four stations, linking the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ with the Central Capital station—an interchange with the country’s high-speed rail corridor connecting Ain Sokhna and Marsa Matrouh.
The ministry had inaugurated phases one and two of the LRT in July 2022, running 68 kilometers between Adly Mansour station and the New Capital. The entire project is backed by China Exim Bank, which provided a $1.2 billion concessional loan for the initial phases and an additional $400 million to finance phase three.
