Following an extensive, high-level field visit to the strategic Governorate of Damietta, Her Excellency Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst, Head of the European Union Delegation to Egypt, discusses the tangible outcomes of the EU-Egypt partnership.
From the historic revamping of century-old utility plants to groundbreaking maritime trade corridors and massive industrial integration, this dialogue outlines how the EU’s Global Gateway strategy is turning Damietta into a premier Mediterranean logistics, energy, and human capital hub.
Part I: The Maritime Leap – Turning Damietta into a Global Green Gateway
Q1: Your Excellency, your comprehensive tour of Damietta Port lasted over three consecutive, highly critical hours. Damietta is currently ranked among the top 100 green ports globally, sitting proudly at number 90. Given the EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, how does the EU view the future expansion of this port, and how does the Global Gateway initiative align with Egypt’s Vision 2030 to maximize its unique geographical advantage?
Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst: My three-hour visit to Damietta Port underscored its profound geoeconomic importance. It is a world-class infrastructure asset. Ranking 90th globally among green ports is a remarkable milestone that perfectly mirrors the European Union’s commitment to sustainable, low-emission logistics.
Through the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, we view Damietta not merely as a maritime harbor, but as an integrated, multi-functional logistical bridge linking Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The expansion plans for Damietta Port are highly ambitious. A prime example is the newly minted Damietta Alliance Container Terminal / Tahya Misr 1, which commenced commercial operations in February 2026. Operated by an international consortium including Hapag-Lloyd, Eurogate, and Contship Italia alongside Egyptian partners under a 30-year concession, this terminal boasts a massive 93-hectare area, a 1,670-meter quay with an 18-meter water depth, 12 fully electric ship-to-shore cranes, and 40 hybrid RTG cranes, aiming for a planned capacity of 3.3 million TEUs.
What makes Damietta genuinely exceptional—and why it fits so seamlessly into Egypt’s Vision 2030—is its resilience and diversification. Thanks to cutting-edge engineered breakwaters, the port is an industrialized, human-made marvel that never closes more than one single day per year, regardless of adverse weather conditions.
By 2030, our joint vision is to scale up its multi-purpose berths, fully blending its logistics capacity with its nearby liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities and petrochemical networks (such as methanol and fertilizer production). This turns Damietta into a multi-layered industrial node that secures sustainable supply chains across the Mediterranean.
Q2: The launch of the Damietta-Trieste Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) freight line in November 2024 has been hailed as a structural game-changer. While traditional shipping routes can take up to 14 days, this "green corridor" slashes transit time down to just 2.5 to 3 days (68 hours). Following your discussions with local stakeholders, how is the EU working to optimize this route, and what are the next steps regarding scheduling and logistical support?
Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst: The Damietta-Trieste RoRo line, operated by DFDS in partnership with Pan Marine Shipping Services, is a textbook example of how infrastructure can create immediate economic value. Cutting transit times from 14 days to just 68 hours (two and a half to three days) is an extraordinary breakthrough for time-sensitive trade. It allows high-value, perishable Egyptian agricultural goods, fresh produce, and textiles to reach European supermarkets in record time, while European industrial, dairy, and agricultural goods flow smoothly back into Egypt.
During my visit, the primary objective was to inspect this exact line and discuss its scalability. Currently, the service operates on a weekly schedule—departing Damietta on Fridays and Trieste on Mondays. However, our main focus right now is to double this frequency to twice a week. Increasing the line's frequency will dramatically accelerate supply chains and offer the predictability that global traders require.
The Egyptian government has shown incredible commitment by designating this a "green corridor," backing it with powerful fiscal incentives, including an 88% reduction in port fees and a capped road transit fee of $100 USD per truck.
Furthermore, in 2026, Damietta introduced an expanded transit model where cargo arriving from Europe can be processed swiftly and moved onward overland via Safaga to Gulf markets. The EU is fully committed to supporting this corridor logistically and technologically, specifically by focusing on digital customs cooperation, harmonizing regulatory frameworks, and maximizing port efficiencies to eliminate red tape on both shores.
Part II: Human Capital & Geoeconomics – Upskilling the Workforce for Resilient Supply Chains
Q3: During your visit, you held extensive discussions with members of the Damietta Chamber of Commerce. A recurring demand from these business leaders was the urgent need for a highly skilled labor force and streamlined shipping processes to Europe. How is the EU responding to these localized demands?
Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst: It was a great pleasure to engage directly with the members of the Damietta Chamber of Commerce. Hearing the honest, direct feedback of local business operators is vital. They were very clear: to sustain this rapid industrial and port expansion, Damietta needs a massive influx of highly skilled, technically certified labor.
We take this request very seriously. Geoeconomics has taught the European Union that to build resilient supply chains and withstand global shocks, you must invest heavily in local human capital.
The EU is actively coordinating with the Egyptian government across our core funding pillars: education, energy, and transport. I want to state clearly that if the Egyptian government requests a reallocation or an increase in spending programs dedicated to technical and vocational education and training (TVET), the EU is fully prepared to expand that funding immediately.
In Damietta, our future training initiatives will not be confined to the governorate’s famous furniture sector. We are expanding our scope to train specialized industrial technicians, including advanced electricians and heavy-machinery mechanics who can operate automated, hybrid, and fully electric port equipment. By equipping local youth with world-class technical skills, we satisfy the needs of local exporters while generating high-quality local employment.
Part III: Transforming Historic Infrastructure – The Damietta Old Water Plant
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FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN: IWSP-I PROGRAM
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Total Program Investment: ~ EUR 295 Million
└─ EU Grant Component (Catalytic Leverage): EUR 34 Million
└─ Co-financiers: KfW (Lead), EIB, AFD
Damietta Old Water Plant Specific Investment: ~ EUR 11 Million
Beneficiaries Reached (Damietta Plant): 650,000 Residents
Total Regional Beneficiaries (IWSP-I): 6 Million Citizens
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Q4: Moving from maritime logistics to critical utilities, you visited the historic Damietta Old Water Plant, an facility that has been operational since 1906. Through the Integrated Water Sector Programme (IWSP-I), the EU and Team Europe partners have upgraded this facility. How does this project reflect the EU’s broader vision of transforming heritage public utilities into modern, eco-friendly assets?
Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst: The Damietta Old Water Plant is a magnificent example of history meeting modern sustainable technology. For nearly two decades, the European Union has stood as a steadfast, long-term partner to Egypt in the water sector, injecting over EUR 600 million in grants since 2007, which successfully leveraged close to EUR 3.5 billion in total investments across the nation.
The refurbishment of the Damietta Old Water Plant, originally built in 1906, was executed under the Integrated Water Sector Programme (IWSP-I) with a localized investment of around EUR 11 million, backed heavily by an EU grant. This project directly improves water quality and service reliability for nearly 650,000 local residents.
On a broader scale, IWSP-I represents a massive EUR 295 million joint effort co-financed by Team Europe—with KfW acting as the Lead Financial Institution, alongside the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French Development Agency (AFD)—combined with an EUR 34 million EU grant. Across four key governorates—Damietta, Gharbia, Sharkia, and Beheira—this single program has expanded water treatment capacities, extended vital sewer networks, and upgraded living conditions for approximately 6 million inhabitants, mostly in underserved areas.
By retrofitting a facility from 1906 with automated technical systems and energy-efficient pumps, we have dramatically reduced water loss, minimized environmental pressure, and slashed energy consumption. This proves that Egypt’s historic infrastructure can be successfully converted into smart, climate-friendly, and economically viable utilities.
Our approach goes far beyond just pouring concrete or installing pipes; we invest heavily in institutional capacity building, long-term asset management, and sustainable sector planning. This paves the way for Egypt to explore diversified, blended financing models and attract private sector engagement in the future.
Strategic Summary: The Road Ahead
Q5: To conclude, Your Excellency, if you could summarize the core message of your visit to Damietta and what it signals for the future of EU-Egypt relations, what would it be?
Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst: My visit can be encapsulated in a single truth: Damietta Port and its surrounding infrastructure show exactly what the EU-Egypt partnership can achieve when vision aligns with coordinated execution.
We are delivering tangible results on the ground that directly improve public health, boost economic competitiveness, and create sustainable jobs. Damietta has successfully positioned itself as a crucial Mediterranean platform where greener logistics, rapid trade corridors, advanced energy assets, and skilled human capital converge.
The European Union remains an unshakeable, reliable partner to Egypt, and we look forward to driving the next generation of smart, green, and resilient investments together.
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