Dubai-based port operator DP World is considering setting up a dry port and a logistics facility near Egypt’s capital Cairo as well as in other parts of the country, according to a local media report citing Tarek Kabil, Egypt’s Industry and Trade minister.

DP World wants “to invest in developing the infrastructure of Egyptian ports and [in] establishing free zones around the country,” the report said.

DP World Group CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said that a dry port on Cairo’s borders should help address major traffic congestion issues in Egypt’s most crowded city.

The inclusion of a logistics area within the vicinity of the proposed dry port outside of Cairo is also envisaged to prevent huge trucks from having to drive to Cairo in order to unload containers, a measure that could help reduce the existing road congestion.

Kabil said that Egypt’s exports to the UAE increased by 224 per cent and reached $2.2bn in 2016. Most common exports into the UAE in 2016 are understood to have include television sets, gold, food products mainly vegetables and fruits, furniture and construction products.

UAE’s exports to Egypt amounted to $834m in 2016, the rerport said.

It is understood that both entities have agreed to continue negotiating about potential projects in Egypt.

DP World has recently acquired an additional 23.94 per cent stake in Pusan Newport Company (PNC) in South Korea from Samsung Corporation & Subsidiaries. The deal increased DP World’s holding in PNC to 66.03 per cent.