Egypt will keep its ports running for 24 hours a day, up from 16 currently, in an effort to cut down on "long waiting times" for shipments, Transportation Minister Hesham Arafat said on Wednesday.
The extended port hours will not come at any added cost for shippers, he said. Arafat did not specify when the new port hours would come in to effect or how long the new policy would remain in place.
Traders have complained of growing demurrage fees in recent months caused by long delays for their vessels at Egyptian ports that have raised the cost of doing business.
Reporting by Momen Saeed Atallah