The Alexandria Port Authority (APA) will cut planned investment by about 35% to 3.9 billion Egyptian pounds ($73 million) in the next fiscal year 2026/2027, down from 6 billion pounds ($115 million) in 2025/2026, according to a member of the authority’s board who spoke to Al Manassa.
The source, who asked not to be named, attributed the reduction to presidential directives stipulating that the government not launch major new projects and focus instead on completing projects already in advanced stages, as part of a wider spending rationalization policy.
As part of these measures, the Ministry of Transport, which has direct oversight of APA, had also decided to halt 46 road and bridge projects that were included in its preliminary investment plan for the FY 2025/2026, as part of measures aimed at cutting public spending.
According to the source, APA’s investment plan for the new fiscal year will be limited to completing the remaining work on five breakwaters, with a combined length of about 6,945 meters, alongside limited work on berths at El-Maks Port.
He said the authority had postponed work on four logistics zones and would complete only one, in the Al-Matras basin, covering an estimated 110 hectares, during the next fiscal year.
Over the past two years, the authority had developed a plan to build five logistics zones next to the port on a total area of nearly 360 hectares, including a 230-hectare zone south of the port and the Al-Matras basin zone now being completed.
The source said the authority plans to allocate about 500 million pounds ($9.4 million) to purchase internal operating equipment to improve services for ships calling at the port, while earmarking about 1.7 billion pounds ($32 million) for compensation tied to land expropriations.
The source added that APA faces financial obligations in the next fiscal year, including repaying loans worth 2.5 billion pounds ($47 million) that it obtained in previous years to finance berth-deepening work and infrastructure for the Tahya Misr terminal.
The government is betting on the terminal to strengthen Alexandria Port’s position as a Mediterranean hub for transit trade, especially since it is managed by the Egyptian Group for Multipurpose Terminals, with a non-controlling stake held by France’s CMA CGM Group.
The Ministry of Transport is seeking to increase the number of ships and the volume of cargo handled through the port. It is currently working to operate two roll-on/roll-off shipping lines linking the port to Spain and Greece, which aims to support trade with Europe and boost activity at the marine berths, according to an informed source at the ministry in previous remarks to Al Manassa.
