Adm. Rabiee: “The Suez Canal didn't stop its process of development and modernization during the Red Sea Crisis.”
Managing Director of the South Europe Region at the shipping line Hapag-Lloyd: “Gemini Cooperation’s adjustment of the navigation service course operating on the India-Mediterranean route to transit through the Suez Canal is a good opportunity that will be build upon in the future."
The Suez Canal represents an added value as the shortest and fastest route for all clients
Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, met with Mr. Juan Pablo Richards, Managing Director of the South Europe Region at the shipping line Hapag-Lloyd, accompanied by Eng. Marwan Alsammak, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd in Egypt, to discuss avenues of joint cooperation. The meeting was attended by Adm. Ashraf Atwa, Deputy Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, and a number of board members of the Suez Canal Authority, at Al-Irshad Building in Ismailia.
The meeting witnessed discussions on Hapag-Lloyd’s future navigation plans in light of the announcement made by the Gemini Cooperation; bringing together the shipping lines Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, regarding the return of the IMX navigation service operating on the India–Middle East–Mediterranean trade route to transiting through the Suez Canal in both directions instead of the Cape of Good Hope route.
At the outset of the meeting, Adm. Rabiee expressed his pride in the longstanding cooperative ties between the Suez Canal Authority and Hapag-Lloyd, stressing that the return of the first service under the Gemini Cooperation is a positive step that reflects the keenness of the major shipping lines to resume transiting through the Suez Canal.
H.E. called on Hapag-Lloyd to resume more of its shipping services through the Suez Canal, and to benefit from the Canal’s numerous advantages pertaining to voyage economics, as well as savings in distance, time, and cost.
H.E. also underscored that The Suez Canal didn't stop its process of development and modernization, and that it has succeeded in introducing unprecedented navigational services during the crisis. That is in parallel with completing the development of the Canal’s southern sector and upgrading the SCA's fleet of marine units.
For his part, Mr. Juan Pablo Richards, Managing Director of the South Europe Region at Hapag-Lloyd, stressed the strategic significance of the Suez Canal and the added value it ensures as the shortest and fastest route for all clients.
He highlighted that the adjustment of the course of the navigation service operating on the India–Mediterranean route to transiting through the Suez Canal is a valuable opportunity that will be built upon in the future, provided that the security situation in the Red Sea and Bab El-Mandab remains stable, as safety continues to be the primary driving factor.
Mr. Richards emphasized the German group’s keenness on expanding its investments in Egypt, stating: "We recognize the strategic advantage of the Suez Canal and Egyptian ports, and Egypt remains the ideal location and the true destination for pumping investments in maritime infrastructure." He further noted that the Group has invested $600 million in the Tahya Misr terminal at Port of Damietta.”
In addition to that, he praised the significant strides made by the Suez Canal Authority in developing its maritime and logistical services, as well as its heading towards localizing building marine units, and its openness to the European market. He also expressed his anticipation of collaborating with the SCA in new fields that serve mutual interests and further strengthen cooperative relations.