Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Turmoil in Egypt with ports and logistics at a standstill

Port and logistics operations across Egypt remained at a standstill this morning as the country braced itself for a million-strong demonstration in Cairo against President Hosni Mubarak.
Under government orders, internet and mobile phone connections have been shut down or severely disrupted across the country, and Cairo Airport is open primarily to evacuate tourists, although some cargo is still being uplifted. The Suez Canal remains open this morning, despite violence in the city of Suez, but all major container ports in Egypt are closed.

FedEx said express shipments were suffering service delays across the country. Pick-ups and deliveries were suspended on Saturday, but customers were still able drop off packages at selected facilities as of this morning. “FedEx is closely monitoring the situation and has put operational contingency plans in place to minimise any service delays,” said a statement.

“The internet is still down, but telephone connections seemed to be improving,” said a spokesman.
“There is no loading and unloading of containers; there are no trucks. There are still flights, but they are subject to delays and cancellations. It’s a very difficult situation.”

DP World said it had temporarily suspended operations at its terminal at Sokhna and was closely monitoring the situation in Egypt. “The security of our people remains paramount and we are doing whatever necessary to ensure their safety,” said a spokesperson.

AP Møller Maersk, which employs some 7,000 people in Egypt and runs the Suez Canal Container Terminal at Port Said via its APM Terminals division, said yesterday that all staff were accounted for, but its ports, logistics and forwarding operations were suffering serious disruption.

”There are no terminal operations in Egypt. Maersk Line, Safmarine and Damco offices are closed,” said a spokesman.

Source: IFW

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