Port Said : Profile

Location

Because of the high density of shipping traffic and the difficult approach to Port Said, the harbour should not be entered at night.

A pilot is required for entry into Port Said. It is usually easier if one is already in contact with a local agent (such as Felix Maritime Agency), who should be contacted first on VHF. He will obtain permission from the port captain for the boat to move directly to Port Fouad Yacht Club on the eastern side of the harbour. Yachts then need to contact Port Said Control on VHF Ch12 who will put you in touch with the pilot dispatcher on VHF Ch13.

A good place to wait for the pilot is around the El Bahar tower, north of the entrance, safely in between the two diverging shipping entrance channels going southwards. The pilot will come out in his orange boat – be well prepared with fenders and to pay a "tip" (a small sailing yacht should pay around $10).

Not a port it is recommended at which to stay. Apart from the moorings being affected by the wash of traffic leaving the canal, you are likely to be charged whatever the numerous officials think that they can get away with.

Last updated September 2010.

Clearance

An agent helps greatly in Egypt to deal with all the necessary paperwork and "baksheesh" culture.

If the yacht is transiting the canal and only staying in Port Said as long as it takes to make arrangements for the transit, immigration formalities are simple and no visas will be issued. Those who wish to stay longer and visit other parts of Egypt need to go through the normal entry procedure.

Procedure for Transiting the Suez Canal
Captains of yachts intending to transit the Canal will be informed at the yacht club either by a club official or an official of the Canal Authority, on the correct procedure to follow.

Although time consuming, taking about 2-3 days, the formalities can be carried out by the captain alone and the service of an agent is not essential. The captain first has to visit the Small Craft Department in the main building of the Canal Authority in Port Said. He will be instructed as to the various formalities to be carried out and also the payments to be made. These payments include the transiting fee, insurance policy, ports and lights fee. One can do all necessary formalities oneself, but the relatively small amount of money saved would hardly justify the effort. The following offices must be visited in either Suez (northbound) or Port Said (southbound):

Suez Canal small craft office to present ship's documents and request transit.
Port immigration to complete arrival forms even by those who do not require a visa.
Insurance company to issue insurance certificate.
Return to the small craft office to present the insurance certificate.
The day before the transit the customs and quarantine offices must be visited to clear the yacht out of country. The officers may visit the yacht too.
Port immigration office to present departure form.
Red Sea port authority to issue port clearance.
Return with the port clearance to the small craft office who will give it to the pilot before the transit.
Inspection office for measurement and final inspection before the transit.
On the day of the transit, the small craft office will call the skipper to collect the pilot and take him to the yacht club to commence the transit.

Note: if you have problems in the Canal, such as engine trouble, it is best to contact first the agent, who may be able to find a solution, for the Canal Authority, if contacted, will send a Canal tug and the charges are extremely high.

The captain then has to take these five documents back to the Small Craft Department to arrange a technical inspection of the yacht. Following this inspection, a transit permit will be issued and a time arranged for the pilot to come on board. The captain will then have to go with the passports of all on board to the immigration office to have them stamped.

On the day of the transit the pilot will arrive early in the morning to guide the yacht as far as Ismailia in the NW corner of Lake Timsah, where the yacht must spend the night as yachts are not allowed to transit at night. The crew are not allowed to go ashore. Early the following morning, either the same pilot or another one will continue the transit to Suez. Normally yachts stop at the Suez Yacht Club before continuing into the Red Sea.

If a yacht gets into difficulties during the canal transit, contact your agent not the Canal Authority.

No yacht can transit the canal if a warship is passing through.

Be prepared for the "baksheesh" culture of the canal and carry plenty of small change US$.

Last updated January 2010.

Felix Maritime Agency
Palace Tower 1, Palastin & Al Salam St, 2nd Floor No 5, Port Said, Egypt
Tel:+20 66 3333132/3248283, Fax:+20 66 3333510/3249293
felix@felix-eg.com
Recommended Yacht Agent. Contact either Naguib Latif at the above e-mail (GSM:+20-122-119-365), or his younger brother Moxn (mohsenyacht@yahoo.com, GSM:+20-105-128-774 or +20-106-327-799).