Back to normality: How Egyptian ports are settling back into the old routine

07 Feb 2011 - By Ashraf Ghazy, Port of Damietta, Egypt. - Industry Blog

Read the previous part of Ashraf Ghazy's blog on Egyptian ports here.

Saturday February 3rd

Suez Canal
A Suez Canal Authority (SCA) spokesman said that 47 vessels of different flags and types have transited the canal in both directions with total tonnage of 2.8 million tons.

Danish AP Moller-Maersk Group announced its offices are reopened after a short shutdown for days. The group also said it has vessel operations were limited at Port-Said, Damietta and Alexandria Ports. It confirmed that Suez Canal is open and the group's vessels are moving there as per schedule.

Life is Normal at Red Sea Ports and Damietta

Red Sea Ports
R.Admiral Mohamed, Gaballa Red Sea Ports Authority Chairman said all Red Sea Ports located at Red Sea, Suez and Southern Sinai are now working quite normally same as before the outbreak of demonstrations at the end of last month. According to the Red Sea Ports Chairman, these ports are well-secured and actually remote from the rioting incidents that took place last week. There is a good coordination with the Armed Forces while Police Forces returned to their positions at ports' gates.

Traffic is regular as well: 135 vessels varying from cargo vessels to passenger ferries and cruisers were received during last few days carrying 8603 passengers, 7342 tourists and 810 trucks. Original port working hours are now observed and the Port authority has so far received no reports of attacks whatsoever.

Damietta Port
At Damietta Port, female employees are back to work today thus the workforce is complete at regular hours from 8am-3pm. Noise of converging trucks and lorries can be heard from our offices. Police Forces get back in full number to their places at port gates and other locations inside port area. All port facilities and companies are operating very smoothly. LNG Projects are well-secured and function at normal production levels. Ship and cargo traffic is also proceeding satisfactorily. There is every sign that life is back to normal.

Sunday February 4th

SCA Chairman Admiral Fadel told reporters that 41 vessels carrying 2,51 million tons of cargo have come across the international shortcut in both directions: Specifically 23 southbound ships totaling 1,102 million tons and 18 northbound vessels with a total 949,000 tons.

Up to the moment demonstrators are staying at Tahrir square in defiance to repeated requests by the army and politicians to get back home. So far the Government has taken several encouraging steps towards reform .Though many of the demonstrators' demands are being met, they insist that demonstrations will go on until Mubarak leaves power.

In the meantime, demonstrations are going on in a few governorates but of a much lower magnitude and more lenient way.

Ashraf Ghazy
Damietta Egypt
7/2/2011
 

Read the previous part of Ashraf Ghazy's blog on Egyptian ports here.