President Mohamed Morsy's office sent two of his advisers to mediate a strike at Ain Sokhna seaport Wednesday in an effort to resume shipping.
The port's employees went on strike earlier this month to protest what they said was the arbitrary dismissal of eight colleagues.
Negotiations began Wednesday among the Suez governor and security chief, port owners DP World and workers' representatives, a governorate source said.
The source added that companies have begun redirecting their container ships to Port Said and Damietta due to the strike.
Saeed Abdel Azim, a senior customs official at Ain Sokhna port, said customs procedures for 600 containers carrying food have been finalized to protect the cargo from spoiling.
Edited translation from MENA
