February 19, 2026

What Kpler data shows about two new Egyptian terminals: RSCT Sokhna and Damietta Alliance

Egypt's container terminal landscape is expanding with two new facilities entering commercial operations in early 2026. Red Sea Container Terminals (RSCT) in Sokhna and Damietta Alliance Container Terminals (DACT) at the Port of Damietta have both launched scheduled vessel calls within days of each other.

Through Kpler's Container Intelligence platform, we traced vessel movements, terminal-level timestamps, and forward schedules to provide a detailed operational picture of both facilities during their initial commercial phase.

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Overview of Egypt's new container terminal landscape

The simultaneous launch of RSCT and DACT represents a significant expansion of Egypt's container handling capacity along strategic Red Sea and Mediterranean corridors. Both terminals aim to capture growing container volumes and offer alternatives to established regional hubs. Understanding their early operational patterns helps shippers, carriers, and logistics planners assess routing options and anticipate capacity availability.

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RSCT Sokhna terminal overview

Red Sea Container Terminals in Sokhna has begun handling scheduled commercial vessel calls as part of its operational ramp-up. Located along the Red Sea, RSCT positions itself as a gateway for cargo moving between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

_{New Red Sea Container Terminal RSCT Sokhna with the recent activity in the Kpler Container Intelligence platform.}

Operational characteristics at RSCT

The vessel call timeline at RSCT shows a measured approach to commercial operations:

Regular spacing between vessel departures and subsequent arrivals
Typically one vessel alongside at a time during the observed period
No evidence of multiple vessels competing for berth space within compressed time windows
Minimal anchorage waiting prior to berthing

This operational pattern indicates a controlled ramp-up phase. The terminal is not yet operating at the density levels seen at mature regional hubs, where overlapping vessel calls and tight scheduling are common.

Congestion and capacity signals

As of 18 February 2026, RSCT demonstrates several indicators of available capacity:

No extended anchorage accumulation offshore
No visible queue buildup in terminal timestamps
Berthing events occur without significant delays
Forward schedule data shows manageable vessel spacing

When compared with neighbouring container hubs that display dense call stacking and overlapping alongside events, RSCT's current activity remains relatively light. This suggests the terminal has room to absorb additional vessel calls as carrier commitments increase.

_{Long-established DP World Container Terminal, showing past, present, future vessel calls, and operational details.}

DACT Launch and initial activity

Damietta Alliance Container Terminals formally launched commercial operations at the Port of Damietta just days after RSCT's operational footprint became visible in tracking data. Located on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, DACT serves as an alternative gateway for European and Mediterranean trade routes.

_{Amalthea, the first vessel calling the new DACT terminal, showing past calls and forecasted schedule.}

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First vessel calls at DACT

Based on operational data from Kpler, DACT recorded its inaugural commercial calls in mid-February 2026:

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Vessel Name	TEU Capacity	Call Date	Origin	Next Scheduled Call
Amalthea	4,178 TEU	12 February 2026	Aqaba	26 Feb 2026, 21:00
Essen Express	13,117 TEU	14 February 2026	Port Said	18 Mar 2026, 00:00

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The Amalthea holds the distinction of being DACT's first commercial vessel call. Its scheduled return on 26 February indicates the establishment of a regular service rotation calling at the new terminal.

Map and data panel of Damietta Alliance Container Terminal in Damietta Port, Egypt, showing zero congestion and vessels, performance index of 1.0, average stay of 16 hours, average wait of 3 hours over the last 7 days, and a table listing vessels with their status, berth times, waiting and stay durations, carriers Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, and departure dates from February to March. — _{New Damietta Alliance Container Terminal showing that two vessels have already stayed at this terminal: Amalthea, Essen Express and the forecasted vessel calls.}

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Early operational patterns

DACT's initial activity demonstrates several characteristics typical of a new terminal launch:

Immediate establishment of scheduled service calls
Repeat vessel scheduling visible in forward data within two weeks of launch
Larger vessel capacity (13,117 TEU for Essen Express) indicating carrier confidence
Quick succession of vessel calls following commercial opening

The rapid appearance of repeat scheduling in forward data suggests carriers have committed vessel rotations to the terminal rather than conducting one-off trial calls.