Egypt s transport ministry is to start building a new river port in Upper Egypt as part of a recent drive to improve the country s river transport system.
The new 15-acre port in Sohag governorate, about 500 kilometres south of Cairo, is the second in the country s south, with the ministry commencing building the first port in the governorate of Qena in April.
The move is part of the ministry s plan to improve the country s river transport system and set up ports in all Upper Egypt governorates with the aim of promoting goods transport through the Nile River from the country s south to the northern governorates of the Nile Valley and vice versa.
Transport Minister Hisham Arafat took part in a cornerstone placing ceremony for the construction of the new port on Thursday, the ministry said in a press statement.
The minister said the ports will help reduce transportation costs, cut down fuel consumption, ease congestion on roads and create new job opportunities.
The new port has a storage capacity of 255,000 tons and can handle 6.6 million tons of goods annually.
