Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir said on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, that Egyptian-French cooperation in maritime transport and ports represents a leading model of strategic partnership between the two countries. El-Wazir made the remarks during a visit with French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot and French Ambassador to Egypt Eric Chevallier to Tahya Misr Terminal at Alexandria Port, which is managed and operated by France’s CMA CGM in partnership with Misr Ports Company.
El-Wazir said Egypt is pressing ahead with the development of its ports in line with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives to capitalize on the country’s strategic location along major global shipping routes. He said the government aims to transform Egyptian ports into regional hubs, increase Egypt’s share of global transit trade, support exports and open new markets through direct shipping services and integrated transport networks linking seaports with railways, dry ports and logistics centers.
The minister said the maritime transport development strategy, a key pillar of Egypt Vision 2030, focuses on upgrading ports and the maritime fleet and expanding partnerships with major international terminal operators and shipping lines. He highlighted cooperation with CMA CGM at Tahya Misr Terminal, as well as at the Red Sea Container Terminal at Ain Sokhna Port through an alliance comprising HPH, CMA Terminal, CMA CGM and COSCO.
El-Wazir said Tahya Misr Terminal is a key component of Egypt’s strategy to establish integrated logistics corridors linking seaports with dry and land ports, border areas and industrial, agricultural, mining and service zones through an advanced railway network.
For his part, Tabarot stressed the importance of cooperation between Alexandria Port and the French port of Marseille and praised the partnership between CMA CGM and Misr Ports Company. He said France attaches great importance to expanding transport cooperation with Egypt, highlighting Alexandria Port’s role in global trade and international transport corridors.
He also praised Egypt’s progress in developing its transport systems and expanding the use of railways for freight transport. During the visit, Tahya Misr Terminal Chairman Mahmoud Khodair briefed the ministers on the facility, which has an annual capacity of 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and 15 million tons of general cargo.
The 500,000-square-meter terminal has 2,500 meters of berths with depths of up to 17.5 meters and can accommodate vessels up to 400 meters long with capacities of up to 24,000 TEUs. It has also created 1,000 direct and 2,500 indirect jobs. Since becoming operational, the terminal has received 1,360 vessels and handled around 2.5 million TEUs, with transit containers accounting for 38% of the total, helping strengthen Alexandria Port’s position on the Eastern Mediterranean transit-trade map.