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Ministry of Transportation: Port of Alexandria reopening delayed; new roads take priority in 2007
By Ahmed A. Namatalla
First Published: December 29, 2006
The LE 750 million renovation of the Port of Alexandria will be revealed after Eid, Minister of Transportation Mohamed Mansour told the Shura Council Energy and Industrial Production Committee Wednesday.
The port, originally scheduled for reopening in November, has faced several delays. Mansour did not offer a specific date for when the ceremony will to take place or reasons for pushing back the reopening date.
Mansour also said the Ministry and the Alexandria Port Authority is now studying the offers of three Gulf companies to establish the port’s tourist area. The winner will be responsible for the establishment of a five-star hotel, marina, and business and shopping districts.
The port’s current renovation project is one of several planned until 2015 when it will boast 10 terminals, two of which will be set aside for cargo containers. The port is already the largest port in Egypt, handling more than 60 percent of its annual foreign trade.
On another front, Mansour said 2007 will see the construction of six main highways with an estimated cost of LE 4.4 billion. The roads will link Cairo to Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh, Sohag to the Red Sea, Aswan to El Fayoum and a ring road around Cairo.
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