Egypt's First Alexandria Dry Port Tackles Transit Cargo Surge

Egypt opened El Amreya Dry Port today, a 146,000 sqm inland logistics hub located 22 km from Alexandria Port. This facility addresses a critical capacity challenge: transit container traffic through Alexandria and Dekheila surged 74% in fiscal year 2025/26 to 553,400 TEUs, driven by geopolitical instability affecting Red Sea routes and increased use of Mediterranean gateways. The dry port reduces quayside congestion by moving container handling, storage, and customs processing inland, reducing cargo transport costs by 15-20% when integrated with Egypt's national railway network. The facility arrives amid broader regional connectivity efforts.

Egypt and Greece are launching new shipping corridors for passenger ferries and cargo routes, while Saudi Arabia and UAE are pursuing rail interconnection agreements. Together, these developments position Egypt as a critical bridge for Europe-GCC trade, with cargo now routinely routing through Damietta overland to Safaga and across to Saudi Arabia. El Amreya is designed as an integrated logistics corridor, not just storage, with digital customs integration via Egypt's Nafeza system, reefer capacity for 826 connections, and cold storage for 10,000 tons. For supply chain professionals, this represents a structural solution to recurring congestion at Mediterranean ports.

The combination of inland facility capacity, railway integration, and digital customs processing reduces dwell time and enables more predictable transit windows. However, adoption depends on shippers rerouting cargo and the railway network reaching operational efficiency targets.