Suez Canal Economic Zone Reports Over 300% Growth in Unprecedented Operational Surge

Egypt’s northern maritime gateways have revealed a significant surge of operational growth throughout the 2025/2026 fiscal year, consolidating the Suez Canal Economic Zone’s position as a dominant Eastern Mediterranean transshipment power.

Transit volumes have skyrocketed across Port Said terminals. At West Port Said, transit container traffic exploded by 301.7 percent year-over-year, processing 451,600 total twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), with transshipment units making up nearly half of all operations at 207,500 TEUs. Meanwhile, East Port Said total container handling reached 5.9 million TEUs, reflecting a 41.1 percent expansion, where transshipment cargo drove bulk activity by accounting for 5.5 million TEUs or 93.2 percent of the total volume.

Bunkering and infrastructure modernization also experienced parallel surges. Offshore marine fueling operations saw bunkering services supply 1.25 million tons of marine fuel, a 65.3 percent increase, across 2,289 vessels, up 83.6 percent. Modernization efforts at West Port Said are accelerating to capture future demand through the Abbas Quay expansion, which includes dredging and quay development extending berth capacity to 670 meters with a 14-meter draft, alongside digital and utility upgrades encompassing a complete overhaul of IT infrastructure, fire containment systems, and power grids. Furthermore, Phase II construction works currently stand at 60 percent completion for primary civil infrastructure and 26 percent for new administrative logistics complexes.

According to SCZone Chairman Mostafa Sheikhoun, the figures affirm the ports’ resilience as high-capacity regional transshipment anchors, absorbing global supply chain shocks while maintaining operational momentum.