The second phase of development at the Ain Sokhna Port will include the installation of storage tankers to increase the port’s storage capacity by 200,000 cubic meters (cm), Egypt Oil & Gas reports.

The storage tankers will be used for diesel, bitumen, and benzene.

Storage capacity for butane is projected to rise to 150,000 cm while storage capacity for diesel is set to rise to 100,000 cm.  The project will also permit the port to receive up to two tankers with 120,000 tons capacity each.

Upon completion of the current project, the port’s capacity will increase by 133% to 21 million tons per year, up from 9 million tons per year at present, the Head of the Suez Canal Authority, Mohamed Mamish said.

The figures were discussed during a recent visit of the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, to the site.

The Arab Petroleum Company (SUMED) has invested approximately $415 million at the port facilities. The port includes a 2.5 kilometer platform, liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, and anchors to receive floating storage regasification units (FSRUs), according to the Head of SUMED, Mohamed Abdel Hazez.