Establishing Egypt’s River Port Network

Between 2008 and 2011, NPM launched its river ports development strategy, acquiring and operating multiple river ports along the Nile to establish the first connected inland cargo handling and storage networks in Egypt. During this phase, the company handled a diversified portfolio of bulk commodities through river port operations spanning Alexandria, Damietta, Cairo, and Minya, extending down to Southern Egypt.

This phase firmly established NPM as a forerunner in commercial river port operations and laid the foundation for its evolution into an integrated logistics platform.

Launch of Anchorage Dry Bulk Stevedoring

As pressure on berth capacity at Alexandria Port increased, NPM pioneered anchorage stevedoring for dry bulk cargo by introducing floating crane operations. This step marked the company’s expansion into dry bulk stevedoring and enabled vessels to discharge cargo offshore, reducing reliance on berth availability and easing port congestion.

This innovation created a multimodal cargo flow linking anchorage discharge with river and land distribution, enabling cargo to move through the Nubaria Canal to the Nile River and onward to river ports from Cairo to Aswan or to canal river ports for storage and truck distribution.

Inland Container Transshipment Services

NPM launched inland container transshipment services along the Suez Canal using Egypt’s largest inland barges (92 TEU / 1,600 tons), connecting Port Said and Suez Canal container terminals. The service provided a faster, more reliable, and cost-efficient alternative to road transport, truck-ferry logistics, and coastal shipping.

Adabeya & Gulf of Suez Operations

NPM expanded its dry bulk stevedoring footprint to the Red Sea by deploying its second floating crane at Adabeya Port, enabling offshore discharge at anchorage and barge transfer to the port. This allowed larger, gearless vessels to operate despite berth draft limitations and achieve significant cost savings for traders. In parallel, the company developed specialized vessel salvage and ship-to-ship capabilities across the Gulf of Suez, supporting cargo discharge from distressed vessels using its floating crane and barge fleet.

Nubaria ICD Launch

In 2016, NPM launched the Nubaria Inland Container Depot (ICD), a customs-bonded river port designed to enhance inland container handling and distribution, ease congestion at sea terminals, and provide a cost-efficient alternative. The facility offers customs clearance, container receipt and dispatch, stuffing and stripping, and storage for both full and empty containers, with reefer handling services introduced in 2017 to support temperature-sensitive cargo.

Today, the facility has grown to become the largest inland container depot in Egypt, while successful barge transport trials from Alexandria to Nubaria further strengthened the multimodal connection between sea and river logistics.

Grain & Dry Bulk Storage Expansion

In response to evolving market demand—particularly from the cement sector—NPM secured El Nahda River Port as a dedicated coal handling facility, adding around 90,000 tons of storage capacity across two phases to support stevedoring operations at Alexandria. In parallel, a new 100,000-ton grain warehouse was developed at Nubaria River Port to introduce specialized storage for a new commodity and diversify the company’s cargo portfolio.

Together, these additions expanded NPM’s dry bulk storage capabilities, strengthened operational readiness, and enabled the company to serve a broader range of market needs.

Warehouse Repurposing & LCL Services

Reinforcing NPM’s agility and client-centric approach, the Nubaria warehouse was repurposed following the launch of Egypt’s National Silos Program, which reduced demand for private grain storage, while port congestion and foreign currency constraints drove strong demand for off-dock logistics, with the ICD operating above designed capacity.

The facility was repositioned to support FCL, general cargo, and LCL services, handling a wider range of industrial goods and enhancing NPM’s flexible logistics offering.

Platform Expansion & Strategic Investments

NPM strengthened its evolution into a fully integrated logistics platform by purchasing the largest operating barging fleet in the market and securing a long-term contract for a 50,000-ton grain warehouse at Damietta Seaport.

The company expanded regionally through the acquisition of Nile Barges, a river transport operator serving Sudan and South Sudan, and established Nile Cargo Indonesia to support international trading and logistics partnerships.

To further integrate the value chain, NPM also acquired a strategic 10% stake in Ostool, reinforcing end-to-end connectivity across transport and logistics services.