Egypt’s President urges developing SCA efforts to localize fishing vessels industry

Cairo, The Gulf Observer: Egypt’s President has urged developing the Suez Canal Authority’s (SCA) efforts to localize the industry of fishing boats and ships.

In a meeting with SCA Chairman Osama Rabie, Sisi ordered developing these efforts to produce fishing boats that are used locally by fishermen in Egyptian lakes that have been developed, including Lake Manzala.

This comes as an alternative to the primitive wooden boats currently used, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said, noting that the new boats are equipped with modern equipment and refrigerators to store fish.

Such efforts aim at supporting the fishermen and their capability to double their fishing production, the spokesman said.

During the meeting, Rabie said the canal has achieved unprecedented record numbers and rates throughout its history in terms of annual revenue, which amounted to about $7 billion, and the highest transit rate for ships.

The canal also recorded its highest net tonnage of nearly 1.32 billion tons and managed to receive a new generation of giant container ships with huge capacities and tonnage.

The meeting comes only few days after navigation at the canal, the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe through which 12 percent of global trade passes was suspended for 5 hours on Wednesday as Oil tanker AFFINITY V coming from Portugal run aground in the canal.