Egypt and Russia explore creation of logistics corridor between Mediterranean and Red Seas

Egypt’s Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir and Aides to the President of Russia Nikolay Patrushev and Igor Levitin discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in the transport sector during a meeting in Cairo, as reported by Sada El-Balad, a partner of TV BRICS.

Egypt put forward a proposal to establish a logistics corridor that would include container terminals at ports on the Mediterranean and Red Seas, as well as an industrial and logistics zone for storing Russian goods (industrial products, petroleum products, grain, and others). The corridor would be connected via a shipping line to Russian ports on the Black Sea and to the Northern Sea Route. In addition, Egypt proposed establishing a shipbuilding yard on its territory and organising servicing for Russian commercial vessels.

Nikolay Patrushev, who serves as Chairman of the Maritime Board of the Russian Federation, supported the idea of expanding cooperation and noted that Egypt could become a hub for shipping and exports to countries in Africa and the Middle East through the development of logistics corridors, an increase in maritime routes between Russia and Egypt, and the organisation of Russian goods deliveries to Egyptian ports.

He emphasised the need to develop a roadmap for joint projects between the two countries in these areas, as well as in the creation of research centres focused on oil, grain, natural gas and liquefied natural gas.

Representatives of major maritime transport organisations, who arrived as part of the Russian delegation, in turn reviewed proposals for establishing regular shipping lines between Egyptian and Russian ports, localising the construction of commercial vessels in Egypt, organising the design and construction of shipyards, producing international maritime components, developing electric river vessels, and training Egyptian specialists in shipbuilding at leading Russian universities.