Port Said escapes protest havoc

According to media reports, the problems started when protestors began throwing rocks at the Port Authority building last weekend after a court sentenced 21 convicts to death over last year’s football riots that killed 74 people – known among Egyptians as the ‘Port Said massacre’.

But, General Mohamed Abdelkader Gaballah, head of the general authority for Red Sea ports, told Daily News Egypt that despite the ongoing disturbances, maritime traffic going in and out of Egypt’s ports has not been affected by the clashes in Port Said, Suez and other regions throughout the country.

The Egyptian army has secured the roads leading to the city’s western port, which has just been reopened after being closed as a precautionary measure for the last 24 hours.

General Gaballah added that security measures had been established to coordinate, administer and secure all ports located in the areas of South Sinai, the Red Sea and Suez, and if events had escalated, Port Said would have closed permanently.

Global marine services provider, Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS), has been carefully monitoring the situation on behalf of ship owners and operators and ISS Egypt has for the moment suspended all husbandry services at all Egyptian ports, including crew changes and transfers.

It says that shipment delivery by road are also unsafe due to the escalating anti-government action taking place nationwide.