Singapore to help Egypt digitalise port after talks between presidents

Move to turn West Port Said into a smart port a replication of S’pore’s transformation

- Samuel Devaraj Correspondent

Singapore companies will assist Egypt to digitalise a port in the Suez Canal following talks between President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his Egyptian counterpart, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, during the Singapore leader’s state visit to the country.

Speaking to the Singapore media on Sept 22 at the end of his four-day trip, President Tharman said the goal is to develop West Port Said into a smart port — “digitisation, management systems, try to replicate, in part, what Singapore has done”, he said.

“They are very keen on this, and we are going to be working together on that,” he said.

West Port Said, one of the country’s main ports, occupies 2 sq km and is situated on the northern entrance of the Suez Canal.

President Tharman noted that the Suez Canal Economic Zone — or SCZone — has very significant prospects, with six ports and four industrial zones.

Egypt is keen for Singapore to add investment and expertise to the SCZone, which was established in 2015 and spans 461 sq km.

President Tharman was accompanied on his first state visit to the Middle East and North Africa by a delegation of government officials and members of the business community, who inked a number of new agreements for cooperation with their Egyptian counterparts.