Egypt expands commercial navy with two giant cargo vessels
Egypt took a significant step in its bid to dominate Red Sea and Mediterranean trade routes on Friday, taking delivery of two massive 82,000-ton dry bulk carriers from China’s New Hantong Shipyard. The vessels—named the Wadi El-Nile and Wadi El-Qamar—were officially handed over to Egypt’s National Navigation Company (NNC) during a ceremony in China attended … The post Egypt expands commercial…
Egypt bolstered its commercial navy on Friday by taking delivery of two massive 82,000-ton dry bulk carriers manufactured by China’s New Hantong Shipyard. The vessels, named Wadi El-Nile and Wadi El-Qamar, were officially handed over to the National Navigation Company (NNC) during a ceremony in China. The 229-meter-long ships are equipped with advanced fuel-efficient designs to cut operating expenses on global shipping routes.
This addition brings NNC's fleet to 16 active vessels. Egypt's transport minister, Kamel El-Wazir, attended the ceremony in China to witness the delivery. The acquisition is part of a broader maritime strategy aimed at revitalizing Egypt's merchant navy and solidifying its position as a global transit and logistics hub. Key goals outlined by the Transport Ministry include expanding the state fleet to 40 vessels by 2030, increasing commercial ports to 19 across the Mediterranean and Red Sea, and upgrading infrastructure to enhance port capacity and efficiency.
NNC's managing director, Mohamed Soliman Moteleb, revealed plans to receive two more twin bulk carriers by 2028, with the company self-funding the expansion to modernize 54% of its fleet within four years—a rapid timeline for the state-operated entity.
Written by urgent.news from Egypt Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
