German shipping major Hapag-Lloyd is adding muscle to its terminal portfolio with news that it is building a new transhipment terminal with an annual handling capacity of 3.3 million TEUs in Damietta, Egypt.
According to London's Port Technology, Terminal 2 will be established about 60 kilometres from the northern outlet of the Suez Canal, a strategic location which the carrier said would boost its transhipment business in Damietta and improve competitiveness in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The harbour basin will have a water depth of 18 metres, compared to the current 14 metres at Terminal 1, which means that the new terminal will be able to handle ships of all sizes, including the 23 500+ TEU dual-fuel ships the carrier has just ordered.
It’s expected to be completed by the second half 2024, with operations ramping up in 2025.
”The terminal will be equipped with 50 state-of-the-art rubber-tyred gantry cranes, half of which will be powered by electricity, as well as 16 ship-to-shore cranes,” Marwan El Sammak, managing director Area Egypt, told Port Technology.
