Egypt's Port Tawfik resumes transport operations

Egypt resumed transport operations at Port Tawfik on the Red Sea last month with the sailing of "Al-Yusufiyyah" ferry, the first to depart from the port in almost a decade.

The resumption of operations at Port Tawfik, a key shipping link to Saudi Arabia, is expected to benefit both the public and private sectors, said Hassan Rahma of the General Authority for Ports.

During the closure, the "public sector was deprived of the revenue generated by this port, which is directly connected to the Saudi port of Jeddah", he said.

The work of the private sector also ceased at tourist, shipping and customs clearance companies and their associated workforce, from drivers, porters and service workers to restaurant and hotel employees, he said.

This restart of port operations is expected to create an estimated 3,000 new jobs, Rahma said, as well as ease the pressure on other sea and air ports during the hajj and umrah seasons.

Al-Yusufiyyah arrived at Port Tawfik with 240 passengers on its first trip in, and departed for Saudi Arabia on the same day with 700 passengers, most of them umrah pilgrims, on board, Rahma said.

"The number of passengers per year is expected to reach 1.5 million, in addition to approximately two million tonnes of cargo," he told Al-Shorfa.