The Trieste-Damietta Sea Highway has been officially launched

The much-awaited ro-ro line connecting Trieste to Egypt with DFDS vessels was celebrated at the Samer Seaports & Terminals’ facility with an event attended by the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, and the Egyptian counterpart, Kamel Al-Wazir. Enrico Samer welcomed the authorities and guests and shared the journey behind the development of this project, representing a significant step in strengthening trade links between Europe and North Africa.

The Extraordinary Commissioner of the Trieste Port, Vittorio Torbianelli, the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza, and DFDS’ Vice President and Head of Business Unit Mediterranean, Lars Hoffmann, expressed their pride and satisfaction. The regional Minister of Infrastructure, Cristina Amirante, represented the regional government at the gathering.

This ro-ro service, with a transit time of 68 hours, will start with a weekly call, leaving from Damietta on Fridays and from Trieste on Mondays – on our terminal, managed by Samer Seaports & Terminals – but it’s bound to double by the middle of next year. The ferry chosen by DFDS has a capacity of 200 heavy units (3,214 linear meters), that will translate into semi-trailers, complete units, 45’HC containers, tank containers, swap bodies, but also project cargo, mainly on the Southern route. On the way up, through the multiple rail connections available at the port of Trieste, Egyptian products, mostly perishables, will be able to reach the European markets and even the UK in few days, providing a sustainable alternative to air freight.

The new line was firmly demanded and supported by the Egyptian and Italian governments with some ad-hoc actions, for instance by signing a bilateral agreement allowing for Egyptian-plated trailers to freely circulate in Italy and vice versa. A deal between the two customs authorities has also been closed to align port duties and ensure that customs formalities are processed during the journey, in order to speed up operations, given the time-sensitive nature of goods onboard. Data exchange and management on the line were entrusted to our company Info.era, confirming its specialization in ports and shipping.