Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has directed the government to modernise the national maritime transportation system, including the transport fleet and the ports on the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

In a meeting on Monday, El-Sisi stressed the need to adopt the best standards and state-of-the-art technologies that help establish direct maritime lines with African countries to boost trade exchange, especially of the raw materials necessary for development projects in Africa.

The president discussed with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir the progress in the transport projects that are underway, especially those related to improving seaport service quality and the national maritime transport system, according to Bassam Rady, the presidential spokesman.

Minister El-Wazir briefed the president on the ministry's improvement efforts in various seaports, especially Alexandria and Dekheila ports, which are being connected to major road networks leading to the International Coastal Road.

He also reviewed the progress made in the development activities at Ain Sokhna and Safaga ports, as well as a plan to enhance the efficiency of Damietta Port and the surrounding road networks, Rady added.

The minister also outlined the infrastructure work in progress for a high-speed railway project linking the Red Sea town of Ain Sokhna with Al-Alamein and Marsa Matrouh cities on the Mediterranean coast, the spokesman noted.

In January, Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding with Germany’s Siemens for the construction of a high-speed electric train line linking Egypt’s eastern and northern coasts.

The project comprises four lines, with the first, to be completed in 2023, set to pass through the Suez governorate’s Ain Sokhna, the New Administrative Capital, Cairo, Giza, Six October city, Alexandria and New Alamein city.