Egypt is strengthening its cargo corridor with Italy and the rest of Europe as instability in the Strait of Hormuz pushes countries to seek safer freight routes linking Europe, the Gulf and Africa.
Launched around 2024, the roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) cargo route links Italy's Trieste Port on the Adriatic Sea with Egypt's Damietta Port on the Mediterranean.
The sea route has now been extended, with containers transported either by land or through the Suez Canal to Egypt’s Red Sea ports and on to Gulf markets including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
The route has emerged as a possible lifeline as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to destabilize the global economy.
"It considerably reduces the shipping period between Europe and the Arabian Gulf, because it takes only 36 hours for a vessel from the Suez Canal to Jeddah port in Saudi Arabia," said Amr Kataya, General Manager of Zenith Enterprise for Marine Services.
However, the Ro-Ro cargo link cannot fully replace the Strait of Hormuz. The drawback is that containers are being loaded and unloaded several times during the trip, limiting volumes that can be transported.
"It could be developed, but that requires substantial investments, substantial logistics arrangement and alignment to make this corridor valid and feasible economically to the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)," said Abdullah Al Qubeisi, a strategic advisor in Saudi Arabia.
"There is a potential for this route to branch out into sub corridors for African countries either through land or the Red Sea at Bab al-Mandab strait," said Kataya.
Egypt promotes Europe-Gulf shipping corridor as Hormuz instability persists
