Arab Republic of Egypt Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade General Organization for Export and Import Control

Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade stressed that the Egyptian exports move regularly to the Arab markets, denying what was reported on some news websites regarding a government decision to halt Egyptian exports to the Gulf countries.

The Ministry demonstrated that Egyptian Foreign Trade System continues to operate at full capacity to ensure the flow of exports to foreign markets, while providing facilitations required to support the Exporting Community and maintain smooth flow of trade.

The Ministry indicated that Safaga Port has become one of the important routes for the passage of Egyptian exports affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, that contributes to the continuation of trade with the Gulf markets through alternative routes.

She added that international trade may sometimes experience limited and short-term delays to some shipments as a result of changes in shipping and insurance costs or transport arrangements in light of regional developments, and these matters are dealt with flexibly and quickly through the transport and logistics system.

The actual data on export movement through Egyptian ports confirmed the continued flow of Egyptian exports to foreign markets, reflecting the ability of the foreign trade system to adapt to logistical changes.

In this context, and under the directives of Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, the relevant authorities continue in providing the necessary logistical and procedural facilities to support exporters and maintain the regularity of foreign trade.

On its part, the GOEIC, headed by Engineer Essam El-Naggar, facilitates the procedures for inspecting export shipments and issuing Certificates of Conformity, in coordination with the authorities operating in the ports and the transport and logistics system, in order to contribute to accelerating export release procedures and enhancing the efficiency of shipping and transport.

In this context, the land-sea transport route between Egyptian Port of Safaga and Saudi Port of Duba witnessed a significant increase in export traffic during the period from March 1 to March 15, 2026, compared to the same period last year.

The number of trips during the same period in 2025 reached about 25 trips with a total of 2,406 shipments and a volume of goods amounting to 60,150 tons, while it increased during the period from March 1 to March 15, 2026 to 38 trips with a total of 4,200 shipments and a volume of goods amounting to 105,000 tons, reflecting a growth rate of nearly 75% in the volume of exports transported via this route.

The goods are transported across this route through land transport to Safaga Port before being loaded onto ferries bound for Duba port in Saudi Arabia, before completing their journey within the Saudi market then towards a number of Gulf markets.

The average daily traffic on this route is about 500 refrigerated containers transported via four ferries, with an average load of nearly 12,5 tons per day. Currently, about 8 ferries belonging to Public and Private Sectors operate on this route, which contributes to accommodating the increase in export traffic.

The most prominent goods transported via this route include Egyptian Fresh vegetables and fruits destined for Gulf markets, along with some goods that are re-exported as part of transit trade.

Maritime shippting route between Egyptian Port of Nuweiba and Jordanian Port of Aqaba has also recently witnessed an increase in shipping traffic, as the average number of trucks transported daily has increased from about 60 to 70 trucks to nearly 100 refrigerated containers on some days, which allows using the Jordanian road network in redistributing goods to a number of regional markets. 

These indicators reflect the government’s continuous efforts to support the foreign trade system and provide logistical alternatives that contribute to maintaining the flow of Egyptian exports to regional markets.