The huge load of black coal sitting on the docks in Alexandria last October was laden with symbolism.
Lafarge, one of Egypt's largest cement multinationals, imported a shipload of coal into Alexandria without prior approval from the government. The environment ministry initiated legal proceedings soon after-a fine is likely, according to officials. ''Uncovered, and barely separated from the surrounding, densely populated residential neighborhood by a flimsy sheet of metal, the coal pile freely scattered its ashes and hazardous particles into the air,'' Louise Sarant then wrote in Mada Mas. The image of this ''giant mountain of coal'' reflects growing environmental concerns, delays, and frustration over Egypt's gas-coal issue.