Egypt plans to finalise within two months its studies on the global logistics centre project, said the supply ministry spokesman Mahmoud Diab. The project will be with estimated investments at 15 billion Egyptian pounds (US$2.1 billion). The centre aims to transform Egypt into a hub for logistical, global storage, and will introduce global mechanisms for storing, handling and packaging grains and food commodities. Speaking to Amwal Al Ghad on Sunday, Diab referred that the total amount of trade expected for the multimedia transportation systems for the project is around 65 million tonnes per year. The spokesman further pointed out that the total area for the proposed project is 3.350 million square metres, of which 500.000 metres fall within the boundaries of the Damietta Port. The remaining 2.79 million square metres comprise a portion of the untapped industrial area northeast of the port. Furthermore, Diab stated that the project provides for the construction of modern silos and domes for storage in three storage areas with a capacity of 7.5m tonnes. This project will serve to quadruple the capacity of Egypt's ports from 2.5 million tonnes to 10 million tonnes. The Project will also include two 700 metre-long sea-quays to accommodate large ships in addition to a 1,200 meter long river-quay. The official also said the project covers the construction of five investment and industrial zones for grains and food commodities with a total land use of 1.7m metres. Morever, the project also includes a complete electronic system for surveying, monitoring, and managing marine operations, freight, allocation, inspection, and customs clearance. In October, the government adopted a project to establish a global logistics centre in Damietta for the handling and storage of grain and food commodities. Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab announced it as a national project that is of no less important than the Suez Canal expansion.
