Seatrade Maritime: Damietta Alliance Container Terminals begins operations in Egypt

Commercial operations commenced at Damietta Alliance Container Terminals (DACT) in Egypt at the weekend with the arrival of the Hapag-Lloyd 13,117 teu-vessel Essen Express.

The new terminal is designed primarily for transhipment operations accounting 80% of its volumes and is planned to have a capacity of 3.3 million teu.

DACT is a joint venture between Hapag-Lloyd Damietta with a 39% stake, Eurogate and Contship Italia holding 29.5% each, and the remainder owned by Ship and CREW Egypt and Middle East Logistics and Consultants Group

“The new hub strengthens our position in the East Mediterranean and enhances our ability to provide customers with reliable, efficient and competitive services across key east-west and regional trade lanes,” said Juan Pablo Richards, Senior Managing Director Region South Europe at Hapag-Lloyd.

The DACT facility covers an area of approximately 93 hectares and features a quay length of 1,670 metres with a water depth of 18 metres and is equipped with 12 fully electric ship-to-shore cranes with a 25-row outreach and 40 hybrid RTG cranes.

Additional equipment includes spreaders, lashing cages, out-of-gauge frames and rail infrastructure with six train lanes, of which two are operational at launch.

“The launch of commercial operations at the Damietta terminal marks a key milestone in Contship’s growth strategy. This new hub strengthens our footprint across the Mediterranean and North Africa, covering an area of strategic importance for the Group and completing our presence in a central quadrant for international trade flows,” said Matthieu Gasselin, CEO of Contship

“North Africa is a market of significant interest, poised to play an increasingly pivotal role in global trade dynamics, and one where we intend to initiate further development projects.”