Ain Sokhna Port Code EGSOK — Red Sea Bulk & Container Gateway
Ain Sokhna (EGSOK) — UN/LOCODE and port profile on Egypt's Red Sea coast. Container + breakbulk, 1M+ TEU 2025 record. Shortest transit to GCC (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait). FOB bulk salt, cement & minerals.
Ain Sokhna Port — Red Sea loading gateway, record 2025 throughput, EGG port laboratory on site
Ain Sokhna (port code / UN/LOCODE EGSOK) is Egypt's primary Red Sea commercial port, 60 km south of the Suez Canal entrance. Managed by DP World Sokhna, it provides the shortest sea route from Egypt to East Africa, GCC, India, Pakistan, China and the Far East. In 2025 DP World Sokhna handled a record 1 million TEU — its highest annual volume. Egypt Globe Group's Red Sea saltworks are at Ain Sokhna and the group's port-side QC team operates at the port, so Red Sea sea salt, Siwa / Qattara rock salt, cement, fertilizer and phosphate are sampled, released and loaded under one Quality Assurance protocol.
For any cargo bound for destinations east and south of the Suez Canal, Ain Sokhna is the freight-optimal Egyptian loading point: southbound traffic bypasses the canal, saving transit time and canal fees versus Mediterranean loading.
Port profile
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| UN/LOCODE (port code) | EGSOK |
| Location | Suez Governorate, Red Sea (Gulf of Suez), 60 km south of the Suez Canal entrance |
| Type | Multi-purpose deep-water — container, bulk, ro-ro, oil + LNG |
| Operator | DP World Sokhna (container + bulk terminals), private operators (specialty berths) |
| Status | Modern and automated, growing capacity, Suez Economic Zone industrial backing |
| Basin depth | 17 m with 680 m basin width and direct Gulf of Suez access |
| Tanker single-buoy moorings | 1 buoy up to 500,000 DWT (no draft limit); 1 buoy up to 150,000 DWT (16.5 m max draft); 2 buoys up to 350,000 DWT (22.9 m max draft) |
| Typical commercial vessel range | Handysize → Capesize → ULCV |
| Bulk loading rate | 10,000–15,000 MT/day on dedicated bulk berths; 12,000 MT/day in the group port-loading register |
| Dry-bulk berths | 3 dedicated dry-bulk berths, 20 million MT/year capacity |
| Container | 3-basin layout, 1.75M TEU total annual capacity; 2025 record 1.0M TEU; SCCT-adjacent terminal among the deepest in MENA; 800 boxes/day (register) |
| Typical laytime / charges (register) | 2.5 days; USD 3.00 / MT |
| Milestones 2025–2026 | Record 1.0M TEU (DP World Sokhna); continuous expansion under the SCZONE master plan |
Commodities loaded
| Commodity | Suitability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Salt (Siwa / Qattara rock salt + chemical-grade) | Excellent | Strong infrastructure, 17 m draft; GCC chlor-alkali and Indian chemicals |
| Red Sea sea salt (Ain Sokhna saltworks) | Excellent | Saltworks on the same coast — minimal inland trucking |
| Cement + clinker | Excellent | East Africa, Yemen, Sudan, Djibouti, Indian subcontinent rotation hub |
| Fertilizers (urea, DAP) | Excellent | Dedicated bulk berths, 20M MT/year; East Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh |
| Gypsum + plaster, minerals | Excellent | Good bulk handling; GCC drywall, Indian cement |
| Phosphate rock | Excellent | India, China, Bangladesh, Indonesia |
| Edible oils + agro | Good | East Africa, Gulf |
| Container general | Excellent | DP World, deepest container terminal in MENA; full range to the Indian Ocean and Far East |
| Petroleum, LPG, LNG | Excellent | Up to 500,000 DWT tanker berths |
| Sea salt (North Sinai / Bardawil source) | Limited | Long inland trucking — consider Al-Arish or Damietta |
Transit advantage (Suez bypass for southbound cargo)
Loading & QA protocol
| Gate | Control | Evidence | Who · frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction / source | Red Sea saltworks laboratory (on site), Siwa / Qattara mine laboratories, cement mills and mines release each lot before it moves to the port | Source lab report | EGG source laboratory · every lot |
| Stockpile | Segregated stockpile in the bulk yard; covered storage for hygroscopic cargo | Stockpile map, lot register | Port operations · continuous |
| Port laboratory | Composite sample per ISO / ASTM sampling plan; CoA / MTC issued before NOR acceptance and B/L; out-of-spec lot rejected, never re-graded or renegotiated | Per-lot CoA / MTC | Ain Sokhna QC team · every vessel |
| Independent inspection | Hold inspection, sampling during loading, draft survey, witness test; SABER, KEBS PVoC, BIS, GACC programmes where required | Certificate of Inspection, draft survey report | TÜV Austria / SGS / Intertek / Bureau Veritas · per shipment when contracted |
| Laycan & loading | NOR on arrival; SOF signed by Master, agent and EGG; 10,000–15,000 MT/day on dedicated bulk berths; Time Sheet basis for laytime | NOR, SOF, Time Sheet, Mate's Receipt | Port operations + agency · every vessel |
| Documents | Mate's Receipt + B/L; Certificate of Origin (PAFTA preferential for Arab destinations, EUR.1 for EU rotations); CoA / MTC; PSI certificate; Red Sea-specific maritime safety documentation; GOEIC clearance | Full document set | Documentation desk · every shipment |
Applications & markets
Ain Sokhna is the loading point for GCC and South Asian chlor-alkali and water-treatment salt buyers, East African construction buyers of cement per the HS 2523 guide, and fertilizer importers per the HS 3105 guide — see the Saudi Arabia, India, Kenya, Bangladesh and China import guides. Service page: FOB Ain Sokhna.
Standards & documentation
- Cargo conformity is certified against the contract standard — EN 16811-1, BS 3247, ASTM D632, AASHTO M-143, GOST 13830, SS-EN 16811-1 for salt; EN 197-1 and ASTM C150 for cement.
- Document set: trade documentation. Inspection protocol: inspection & quality control. Port operations: port services. Group systems: quality & compliance. Vessel classes: vessel sizes.
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State the destination and tonnage; the chartering desk confirms berth, loading rate and laycan for FOB Ain Sokhna and compares it against Damietta where the routing is marginal.
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