Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) said it is now able to handle deeper draft ships.
The terminal said it is offering a new draft of 14.5 meters (about 47.5 feet), recently handling a 5,400-TEU ship that had a draft of 14.4 meters.
"Receiving vessels with this deep draft in East Port Said is an additional major milestone for SCCT as a company as well as the Egyptian transport market," the terminal said in a statement "With the new draft SCCT is turning it into the sole container terminal in Egypt and the East Med capable of receiving the latest generation of vessels."
The terminal said in 2008 it handled "nearly 20 percent of the East Mediterranean transshipment market and has currently capacity for increasing this share even further."
Partners in the terminal are Maersk Line affiliate APM Terminals with a 55 percent share; COSCO Pacific, 20 percent; Suez Canal Authority, 10 percent; the National Bank of Egypt, 5 percent; and private sector investors with the remaining 10 percent share.
American Shipper