Contship Italia affiliate Damietta Alliance Container Terminal (DACT) has begun commercial operations at the Port of Damietta, with activity officially starting on February 14, 2026.
The launch marks the operational opening of a facility expected to serve as a key transshipment hub in the eastern Mediterranean, supporting traffic between Europe, Asia and Africa. The terminal received its first vessel call from Hapag‑Lloyd’s Essen Express, initiating regular service at the new site.
"The launch of commercial operations at the Damietta terminal marks a key milestone in Contship's growth strategy. This new hub strengthens our footprint across the Mediterranean and North Africa, covering an area of strategic importance for the Group and completing our presence in a central quadrant for international trade flows," said Matthieu Gasselin, CEO of Contship.
"North Africa is a market of significant interest, poised to play an increasingly pivotal role in global trade dynamics, and one where we intend to initiate further development projects."
Gasselin said following this initial operational phase, the company is already looking ahead to the next step: advancing intermodal development in the Damietta and Greater Cairo area and delivering infrastructure designed to support an integrated logistics system.
"Our vision is broad in scope: not only terminal growth, but the development of a competitive intermodal platform serving international markets," he said.
DACT has been designed primarily for transshipment operations and will have an annual handling capacity of up to 3.3 million TEUs.
The expected cargo mix is approximately 80% transshipment and 20$ import and export, serving both the Egyptian market, including Damietta and Greater Cairo, as well as regional markets such as the Levant and the Black Sea.
The DACT facility covers an area of approximately 93 hectares and features a quay length of 1,670 meters with a water depth of 18 meters.
The Terminal is equipped with 12 fully electric ship-to-shore cranes with a 25-row outreach and 40 hybrid rubber-tyred gantry cranes. Additional equipment includes spreaders, lashing cages, out-of-gauge frames, and rail infrastructure with six train lanes, of which two are operational at launch.
Damietta Alliance Container Terminals S.A.E. is a joint venture established to develop and operate the DACT terminal. Shareholders are Hapag-Lloyd Damietta GmbH (39%), represented by Hanseatic Global Terminals, EUROGATE Damietta GmbH (29.5%), and CONTSHIP Damietta S.p.A. (29.5%), together with Ship & C.R.E.W. Egypt S.A.E. (1%) and Middle East Logistics & Consultants Group (1%). The first phase of the project represented an investment of more than US$600 million.
