Egyptian authorities announced Thursday that the volume of river traffic in 2010 more than tripled compared to the year before, saving the government about LE262 million in fuel subsidies.
River shipping also provided savings by reducing the cost of road maintenance, the number of road accidents, traffic, and vehicle maintenance. It also improved environmental conditions.
Chairman of the River Transport Authority Karim Abul Khair said the government is working to encourage investment in river transport, pointing out that it costs 25 percent to 30 percent less than land transport.
Aboul Kheir said that compared to 2.3 million tons of cargo shipped on the Nile River in 2009, 7.7 million tons were transferred last year.
Aboul Khair said that the shipments included wheat, cement, marble, coal, calcium sulfate, stones, fertilizers, silt, and phosphate.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
