Adm. Rabiee: "the Canal’s navigation statistics during last October have improved"
The Italian envoy of IMEC: "Security of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab is an important demand in the global shipping community"
The Italian envoy of IMEC: "We look forward to promoting joint cooperation with the SCA and achieving strategic integration between both parties"
Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, received Mr. Francesco Talo, the Italian envoy of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor "IMEC" project, to discuss ways of joint cooperation. The meeting was attended by Admiral Ashraf Atwa, Deputy Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, as well as a number of SCA board members and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was held at the SCA's headquarters, Al-Irshad building, in Ismailia.
This meeting, aimed at getting to know the Suez Canal and its developmental projects up close, was on the sidelines of his official visit to Cairo in the framework of the fruitful cooperation and ceaseless coordination between the SCA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the outset of the meeting, Adm. Rabiee stressed that the Suez Canal will remain a mainstay of global trade as the shortest, fastest and most secure waterway linking the East and the West.
H.E. explained that the SCA has successfully adopted mega developmental projects to maintain the Canal’s competitiveness and pioneering position in the global shipping community; most notably the southern sector development project which raised the navigational safety factor by 28%, and increased the doubled parts in the Canal to achieve flexibility in handling possible emergencies.
Adm. Rabiee also emphasized that the Suez Canal has not stopped developing, modernizing or upgrading its navigational and maritime services provided to its clients through introducing new navigational services that meet the requirements of vessels transiting through the Canal under normal circumstances and in emergencies, like: ship maintenance and repair, water ambulance, maritime salvage, crew change, etc.
H.E. added that the SCA has taken leaps towards the development and modernization of its fleet of various marine units, and the localization of building marine units. Those efforts were crowned by the commencement of exports, as the Suez Canal Company for Modern Boats was contracted to sell two 90-ton bollard-pull capacity tugboats to NERI Group of Italy.
Adm. Rabiee has also highlighted that the Canal’s navigation indicators have started to improve as the region regains its calmness. During last October, the Canal's navigation statistics have witnessed an increase of 16.3% in the transiting vessels' net tonnages, and 17.5% in the generated revenues compared to October of last year.
On his part, Mr. Francesco Talo, the Italian envoy of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor "IMEC" project, expressed his appreciation for the efforts exerted by the SCA in handling the geopolitical challenges and ensuring the sustainability of global supply chains, stressing that the security of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab is an important demand in the global shipping community that calls for a consolidation of efforts to ensure the return of navigation in the region back to normal.
He also pointed out that it is of paramount importance that navigation through the Suez Canal is restored as an important outlet for European trade moving between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.
Mr. Talo added that Italian vessels have not stopped transiting through the Suez Canal, and highlighted the repeated transits of the aircraft carrier CAVOUR and the historical vessel AMERIGO VESPUCCI.
He also stressed the importance of supporting infrastructure projects on the basis of modern technology to deal with security challenges and cybersecurity problems.
Mr. Talo expressed his anticipation of promoting joint cooperation with the SCA as a part of the efforts to list Egypt amongst countries on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor in a manner that helps achieve strategic integration between both parties and serve common interests.