By: OrePulse

Egyptian port authorities and trade bodies reported a sharp rise in vessel traffic and food exports in statements issued Sunday, September 13, 2026, describing brisk activity at ports along both the Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts.

At Damietta Port on the Mediterranean, the port authority said 13 container and cargo vessels moved through the facility in 24 hours, made up of seven arrivals and six departures, with 13 ships docked at the port at the time. Outbound cargo totaled 35,540 metric tons — including 2,418 metric tons of molasses, 8,125 metric tons of bagged gypsum and 1,644 metric tons of bagged salt — while inbound cargo came to 13,557 metric tons, made up mostly of 5,500 metric tons of corn, 1,253 metric tons of iron, 2,200 metric tons of scrap metal and 3,946 metric tons of other commercial goods.

Along the Red Sea, the Red Sea Ports Authority said its network handled 13 ship movements, moving roughly 13,000 metric tons of cargo, 661 trucks and 132 private vehicles. Of that total, seven inbound vessels brought in 7,000 metric tons of freight, 417 trucks, and 90 cars, while six outbound vessels carried 6,000 metric tons of cargo, along with 244 trucks and 42 cars. Safaga Port took in three inbound vessels — POSEIDON EXPRESS, Al Hurriya and Amal — and saw ALCUDIA EXPRESS and BRIDGE depart. Nuweiba Port moved 6,500 metric tons of cargo and 252 trucks aboard four shuttle vessels — Al Hussein, Sina, Ayla and Our. Across the Red Sea ports, authorities counted 1,258 passenger movements.

Separately, Egypt's National Food Safety Authority said in its 34th weekly report of 2026, covering September 5 to 11, that exporters shipped 230,000 metric tons of food products in 3,700 consignments handled by 1,424 registered exporting companies, spanning about 720 product categories. Vegetable shipments totaled 50,000 metric tons, led by potatoes at 18,000 metric tons and onions at 14,000 metric tons, while fruit exports reached 30,000 metric tons, led by mangoes at 8,000 metric tons. Sudan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia were the leading destinations, ahead of Lebanon and Italy, among 163 countries that received shipments. Safaga Port processed the most food-export consignments, at 665, followed by Alexandria with 545 and Damietta with 455.

The Food Export Council also reported that Egypt's solid cane sugar, beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose exports brought in about $290 million on 581,000 metric tons in 2025, ranking the country 14th worldwide with a 2 percent share of the global market. The council said export value grew at a compound annual rate of 17 percent between 2020 and 2025, with volume up 11 percent a year over the same stretch. Lebanon was the largest buyer at $107 million, followed by Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and Italy; together, the five countries accounted for 82 percent of Egypt's solid sugar exports.