Egypt’s El-Hamra Petroleum Port on the Mediterranean coast in Alamein will receive approximately 35 million barrels of Emirati crude oil and petroleum products annually starting next fiscal year, primarily for re-export to European markets, an official at the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) said on Monday.
The Egyptian-Emirati cooperation within the “Fujairah-Alamein for Oil and Gas” project aims to re-export roughly 70% of the incoming volumes to Europe while allocating the remainder to satisfy part of Egypt’s domestic consumption, the source told Al Manassa on condition of anonymity.
In August, the Egyptian government finalized procedures to establish the “Fujairah-Alamein for Oil and Gas” company following approval to set up its dedicated private free zone in New Alamein City. The venture seeks to utilize El-Hamra Port’s existing infrastructure to receive, store, and handle Emirati petroleum shipments.
Under the planned route, Emirati shipments will navigate through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez into the Mediterranean Sea before reaching El-Hamra Port in Alamein. The source noted that connecting the transit route to overland pipelines remains under study.
The Egyptian government will manage the transport of shipments to storage and handling facilities at the port before re-exporting the designated 70% to Europe and routing the rest locally.
The project establishes a new trade corridor for oil movement that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, enhancing energy supply chain flexibility and facilitating trade flows between the Gulf region and Europe, the source explained to Al Manassa.
The initiative is set to boost oil handling traffic at El-Hamra Port by 40% in the upcoming fiscal year, bringing total throughput to 123 million barrels annually. That compares to 79 million barrels handled during the previous fiscal year, with throughput projected to reach 88 million barrels by the end of the current fiscal year.
The source described the facility as a new “Emirati window” on the Mediterranean coastline, extending the strategic role played by the Fujairah hub in storing and trading oil and its refined products. Meanwhile, Egypt stands to gain from logistics investments, expanded energy trading roles, and coverage for a portion of its domestic fuel demand.
Balance-of-payments data highlights Egypt’s increasing dependence on energy imports. Egyptian petroleum import expenditures rose by nearly $3 billion between July 2025 and March 2026, reaching $17.3 billion.
El-Hamra Oil Port serves as the primary export gateway for crude oil extracted from Egypt’s Western Desert regions, offering a logistical foundation to scale up regional resource exploitation and interconnect production, refining, storage, handling, and export operations.
Data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI) showed Egypt’s average crude oil production stood at 501,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May 2025. However, petroleum ministry spokesman Mahmoud Nagi stated during a television appearance last month that current average output has increased to approximately 550,000 bpd.
