Suez Canal Economic Zone, Shell Talk Cooperation on Green Hydrogen Projects

Chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Walid Gamal El Din, concluded his visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, after holding extensive meetings with major international companies operating in the maritime transport and port sectors, and ship bunkering activities with traditional and green fuels.

This came after his presence in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, in light of his participation in the official ceremony to launch the ship Laura Maersk, the first ship powered by green fuel in the world.

The President of the Economic Zone began his meetings in the Netherlands by meeting with officials from Shell International, including: Roberto Maria Batumelli, Regional Director of the Hydrogen Sector in the European Union, and Mr. Rene Smits, Director of Liquefied Gas Business Development.

The meeting discussed green hydrogen projects and the Economic Zone’s plans towards this sector.

It signed 9 framework agreements with major global alliances to produce the green fuel that the region seeks to supply ships with, after its success in supplying the first ship operating with green methanol in its East Port Said port.

The two sides discussed the requirements of green hydrogen projects in the integrated Sokhna region, whether a water desalination plant, The service corridor, tank farm, as well as the liquid bulk station, serve the production, transportation and storage of green hydrogen.

During the meeting, Shell officials reviewed the activities and services of bunkering ships with liquefied natural gas (LNG), and the possibility of implementing this activity in Egypt through the ports of the Suez Canal Economic Zone due to the large density of ships passing through the region, whether in the navigational channel of the Suez Canal or in the ports affiliated with the economic zone, as well as the availability of the elements to implement ship bunkering activity and build on the successes achieved by the economic zone after restoring ship bunkering services with traditional and green fuel in the ports of East and West Port Said and Sokhna.

In the same context, the President of the Economic Zone and his accompanying delegation met with Mark Nolte, Executive Director of Projects, at A.P. Muller, where he reviewed the plan for the expansion project at Container Terminal No. 2 in East Port Said, with a berth length of 955 meters and a yard of 475 thousand square meters and 12 dock cranes, as the company representative reported that the land clearing work had been completed by 95%, announcing the arrival of all the station’s cranes and equipment for installation by the end of October 2024.

The design had also been completed by 95%, and coordination was being made with the company in charge of designing the drawings of the fourth stage of the dock and other details.

At the end of his tour, he also met with officials of the company's carbon removal unit, to discuss efforts to replace traditional fuels with alternatives that rely on renewable energy sources in an effort to reduce carbon emissions that have a negative climate impact.