Marine highway, Egyptian style

Marine highway, Egyptian style    Egyptian company Nile Cargo said it has taken delivery of the first in a series of new barges to augment its fleet of 31 reconditioned vessels.
   “Today, around 95 percent of Egypt’s freight traffic is hauled on highways, with the result being excessive emissions and highway safety issues,” said Hisham El-Khazindar, managing director of Citadel Capital, the company that owns Nile Cargo and sister company Nile Logistics. “With each barge taking on the cargo of up to 50 transport trucks, Nile Cargo will offer not just a greener, more fuel-efficient solution, but a solution that will help ease safety concerns on the nation’s highways as it captures more and more market share.”
   The first two vessels were delivered Tuesday by the Alexandria Shipyard, which is building 30 of the new river barges ordered by Nile Cargo. A further 32 of the contracted barges are being built in the first phase by Arab Contractors Shipyards in Helwan, south of Cairo.
   “The barges’ 100-meter hulls, compared to the existing 50-meter hulls presently in use, allow Nile Cargo to double its capacity, while the efficient and environmentally considered design allows us to dramatically cut per-unit shipping costs, while producing lower levels of emissions compared to road transportation,” said Maged Farag, chairman of the National Company for Multimodal Transport (NMT). “It is truly exciting to begin operating these barges in the vital river-transport sector. We have worked with leading design consultants to conceive world-class river transport vehicles that are versatile, efficient and specifically created to navigate local conditions.”
   NMT is a Nile Logistics holding company for Nile Cargo (previously known as National River Transportation Co.) and National River Port Management Co. (NRPMC), in addition to its other investments in the transportation, storage and stevedoring services. Nile Logistics also controls investments in Sudan through River Valley-Keer Marine.
   Nile Cargo’s fleet of barges, which will ultimately reach 135 vessels (31 refurbished plus 104 newly commissioned vessels), will be able to carry dry bulk as well as containers. The new 100-meter barges will have a carrying capacity of 1,500-1,600 tons or 92 TEUs per barge. ' Chris Dupin