The National Marine Dredging Co (NMDC), one of the leading companies providing dredging, reclamation, and marine construction projects in the Middle East, has been awarded an approximately US$ 78.9M contract to contribute to the ongoing Damietta Port Modernization Project.
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The scope of the project, which is expected to be executed over the next 17 months, encompasses dredging of the sea lane, the port basins, and the circulation basin of Damietta Port, as well as soil improvement and design works.
The Damietta Port Modernization Project overview
The Damietta Port Modernization Project is developed by the Damietta Port Authority (DPA), a port landlord authority operating thirteen docks/berths and six terminals in the Damietta Port, which is situated on the Egyptian Mediterranean coast, approximately 9 km from Damietta city.
The project entails the construction of the basic infrastructure of a second container terminal with berths totaling 2,225 meters long, a 17-meter harbor depth, and 700,000 square meters of container storage space at the Egyptian port.
The construction of the terminal is being undertaken by China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd.
Expectations for the project
Upon completion, the Damietta Port Modernization Project is expected to improve the competitiveness of Damietta port by increasing the port’s berthing depth allowing larger ships to use the port as well as improving the efficiency of port handling services.
According to the state-owned Damietta Container & Cargo Handling Company (DCHC), the project will lead to a 20-25% increase in the terminal’s capacity to reach 1.8M containers per year, he said
It will also provide the platform needed for further private sector involvement in the operation of the new container terminal under the concession contract, and the new quay wall is expected to incorporate climate resilience measures to reduce the infrastructure’s vulnerability to rising sea levels.
