USTDA awards grant to Egypt’s Sokhna port
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded an $83,256 grant to Sokhna Port Development Co. in Egypt to determine measures needed at secure the port.
Lion Associates in Alexandria, Va. will provide the technical assistance and contribute resources to the study, the agency said.
Sokhna, located south of the Suez Canal on the Red Sea, began commercial operations in 2002 as Egypt’s first fully privatized port. It serves the Cairo area via rail and road, as well as the Suez Special Economic Zone next to the port. The port is considered well positioned as a gateway for cargo between Egypt and Asia, as well as East Africa.
The USTDA said support for the project will “facilitate greater Egyptian and regional access to international markets, including the United States, by promoting secure trade lanes, technologies, and procedures that comply with increasing requirements for supply chain security.”
The agency added that the enhanced security measures could help Sokhna become eligible to participate in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Container Security Initiative.