• Egypt, Singapore to digitize Port Said into smart port hub

• Project leverages Suez Canal’s strategic global trade position

• Aims to boost efficiency at Africa’s top-ranked container port

Egypt and Singapore are planning a partnership to digitize the Port Said West port complex and transform it into a "smart platform." The project was unveiled Monday following talks in Cairo between Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The initiative is part of Egypt's broader strategy to capitalize on the geographic position of the Suez Canal, a strategic waterway that handles up to 12% of global maritime traffic and nearly 22% of global container traffic. Port Said is the country's main container port, having processed 4.4 million TEUs in 2023, according to Lloyd's List.

The port is expected to see a boost in activity, driven by new infrastructure that APM Terminals brought online this year at its container terminal. This projected growth highlights the need to optimize operational processes.

If successful, the digitalization plan could speed up operations at the port complex, which is already ranked as Africa's most efficient, ahead of Morocco's Tanger Med, according to the 2024 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) released on September 22 by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Henoc Dossa