Jordan is considering alternatives for shipping and maritime transport, in light of the ongoing turmoil in the Red Sea, including operating the land and sea transport line with Egypt, according to a report issued by the Jordanian News Agency today via Jordan’s Minister of Transport, Wissam al-Tahtamouni.
During a meeting in the Amman Chamber of Industry, the minister considered discussing the repercussions of navigation events in the Red Sea, as the issue of navigation in the Red Sea is a global matter.
A currently proposed alternative is the route of the land and sea transport line affiliated with the Arab Bridge Company.
The General Manager of the Arab Bridge Company in Jordan, Adnan Al-Abadla, revealed in an interview with Asharq Business that Jordan has agreed with Egypt to operate the Arab line to transport commercial goods by land and sea between the city of Aqaba in southern Jordan and the city of Nuweiba in Egypt.
All international and technical requirements necessary to operate the alternative line between Jordanian and Egyptian ports overlooking the Mediterranean Sea have been prepared, he said.
The agreement, which includes establishing a sea route to serve land and sea transportation requirements between the two countries, was signed two years ago.
The legislation and arrangements related to it were completed before the ongoing tensions in the Red Sea.
The alternative line will run from Aqaba to the port of Nuweiba. Goods will then be transported by land to the Egyptian ports on the Mediterranean Sea – Alexandria, Port Said, and Damietta.
Crisis at the seas
The Red Sea crisis has cast a shadow over global trade, with container ships turning to sailing around Africa to avoid the region.
Huthi militants in Yemen pledged to continue targeting ships heading to Israel, despite America’s move to form Operation Prosperity Guardian, an international maritime task force, to protect the shipments.
This has resulted in a sharp decline in the movement of oil tankers through the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea.
Up to 103 container ships have taken a long route around Africa to avoid attacks, leading to additional costs and delays, according to logistics giant Keon + Nagel.
And A.P. Moller-Maersk, the second largest container shipping line operator, expects the global chaos impacting shipping through the Red Sea to continue for several months.
