Cairo is developing plans for at least five private container ports on the Nile. The River Transport Authority (RTA) is in negotiations with an international consultant for the contract to carry out a study on the scheme. It hopes to award the advisory contract in December.

The RTA has already identified five sites for greenfield bulk/container ports that will be offered to private investors on a build-operate-transfer basis - one each in Cairo, Qena and Aswan, and two in Nuberiya. The RTA expects to begin auctions for the concessions to develop the facilities in mid-2007, with awards towards the end of next year. Cairo aims to increase the quantity of domestically handled commodities transported on the Nile from 1 per cent to 10 per cent of the country's total.