Chinese-built container yard delivers multiple outcomes in Egypt

Abu Qir Container Terminal

The China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), a subsidiary of the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), has created numerous employment opportunities for the Egyptian people and promoted the country's economic and social growth in the building of a container yard in its Abu Qir Container Terminal.

The container yard is located in Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city. Since the project's opening in March 2021, the CHEC has made full use of its professional expertise, continuously adjusted the construction plans, maintained closer collaboration and exchanges with the Egyptian side and the Belgian subcontractor, and taken utmost efforts to motivate the Egyptian employees.

Undertaking the project against all odds

There are over 120 sets of construction machinery and 400 builders from China, Egypt and other countries at the construction site. Thanks to their concerted efforts, all construction objectives and tasks have been implemented smoothly.

The independent foundation cushion of a customhouse in the container yard completed its concrete construction on August 4, 2023, marking tremendous progress in the process of building construction.

The Chinese contractor has further optimized their construction plans in accordance with new requirements of the Egyptian side, engaged in in-depth discussions with all other relevant stakeholders, and achieved the goals of lowering construction costs whilst guaranteeing quality and efficiency, in a move to lay a solid foundation for the ensuing work.

Holding one's ground to accomplish all construction tasks in advance

The Belgian DEME Group, a leading dredging contractor in Europe, is a designated subcontractor by the Egyptian side in the building of the container yard project.

After the signing of their business deal, the DEME Group quickly dispatched two large-scale dredging vessels to the construction site and took advantage of its all resources and labor force to ensure the completion of phase-one’s dredging tasks ahead of the deadline.

With the full support and understanding of the Egyptian side, the CHEC and the DEME Group eventually reached a consensus on the height of water surface elevation, which is crucial to ensuring the quality and safety of hydraulic reclamation as well as the success of other construction procedures.

Abu Qir Container Terminal

Adopting performance-based incentives to bolster the morale of all construction workers

At the beginning of the construction of the container yard, the CHEC introduced a performance-based incentive scheme to help the builders of different countries become fully inspired at the workplace, in a drive to ease the pressures brought by the rising cost of raw construction materials.

On August 1, 2022, the Chinese contractor held a special awards ceremony to honor those who performed well on the construction site. The financial awards have played a vital role in helping all construction workers gain a sense of fulfillment and belonging, and in raising personal willingness to strive for excellence.

The performance-based incentives have fundamentally raised the efficiency of all construction procedures and cut the construction costs for the CHEC.

Adhering to the principle of localization in project management

There are many natural advantages for multinational companies in hiring local employees in their overseas business development and the CHEC is no exception in the building of the Egyptian container yard.

Aside from saving a large sum of money for the CHEC, the employment of Egyptian people will also help the Chinese contractor get more familiar with the laws and rules on labor forces and other fronts, as well as fulfill its corporate social responsibility for creating additional employment opportunities for the local population and raising their technical skills.

The CHEC has adopted tier-based management approaches to promote the understanding of Egyptian engineers and other personnel towards their specific posts, providing them with broader career development prospects.

Zain is an Egyptian HR manager of the Chinese-built container yard project. At present, he has successfully grown from a rookie to a competent worker with versatile skills.

Meanwhile, the CHEC has encouraged its senior Chinese employees to build a special master-apprentice relationship with their Egyptian colleagues, which allows the Chinese construction workers to impart their technical skills to local employees and relieve them from trivial matters.

Statistics show that the construction of the container yard has created over 2,000 direct employment opportunities for Egypt and used more than 300 sets of construction machinery, as well as showing that the Chinese-built project will dramatically boost Egyptian economic and social development upon its completion.