China-built container terminal starts operation in Egypt's Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The China-constructed Abu Qir Marine Port Container Terminal in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria has started operation.

Chinese cargo ship "Zhong Gu Ji Lin" loaded with 2,000 standard containers docked at a completed section of the terminal on Tuesday morning, marking the official opening.

The terminal's construction has been carried out by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) since March 2021.

Its first phase was delivered in October 2023, said the head of CHEC Egypt Duan Kun, adding the construction is now in the second phase.

The overall construction includes port, dredging, reclamation, channel improvement, revetment and supporting facilities building.

The project has so far created more than 2,000 jobs for the local labor market. Once fully built, the terminal can handle 2 million standard containers per year.