Egypt fresh-produce logistics — ports, routes, cold chain, transit times.

Egypt is geographically the fastest reefer origin to the GCC and a primary counter-seasonal supplier to Europe, Central Asia, and Asia-Pacific. This page is the operational reference for AFRICAFRESH EXPORT, covering every route, reefer spec, and transit time used by our buyers.

Egyptian port reefer yard — 40ft refrigerated containers staged for export

Ports and gateways

All AFRICAFRESH EXPORT reefer consignments ship from one of three primary ports:

Alexandria Port — main Mediterranean gateway; direct reefer lines to North Europe, Med ports, UK, and transit hub for Central Asia.
Damietta Port — secondary Mediterranean; strong Med and EU connections, faster turnaround for some lines.
Port Said (SCCT / East) — Red Sea and Suez-transiting services; preferred for GCC, East Africa, South Asia.

Air freight departs Cairo International Airport (CAI) with daily cargo capacity to every major European, GCC, Central Asian, and African hub.

Transit times by destination

Published transit times are commercial averages for reefer-container sea freight with a single transhipment or direct service. Actual week-over-week transit depends on port schedules, congestion, and vessel rotation.

Destination	Origin port	Sea (reefer)	Air (CAI origin)
Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg	Alexandria / Damietta	6–10 days	24–48 h door-to-door
Felixstowe, Southampton (UK)	Alexandria	8–11 days	24–48 h
Marseille, Genoa, Valencia, Piraeus	Alexandria	4–6 days	24–48 h
Jebel Ali (Dubai, UAE)	Alexandria / Port Said	4–5 days	12–24 h
Jeddah (KSA)	Suez / Port Said	2–3 days	12–24 h
Dammam (KSA), Doha (Qatar), Shuwaikh (Kuwait)	Alexandria / Port Said	4–6 days	12–24 h
Tashkent (Uzbekistan) via Poti → Aktau → rail	Alexandria	14–18 days	24–48 h
Almaty / Astana (Kazakhstan) via Aktau → rail	Alexandria	16–20 days	24–48 h
Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Yokohama	Port Said (Suez)	14–18 days	24–48 h
New York, East Coast USA	Alexandria	14–18 days	24–48 h
Mombasa / Durban (East & Southern Africa)	Port Said	10–14 days	12–24 h

Reefer container specifications

All AFRICAFRESH EXPORT sea consignments ship in 40ft high-cube reefer containers unless the buyer specifies 20ft. Payload 24–28 tonnes net depending on product density and carton geometry.

Container type: 40ft HC reefer, controlled atmosphere (CA) available on request.
Temperature setpoints (per product): Citrus +4 °C to +6 °C; Strawberries 0 °C to +2 °C; Table grapes −0.5 °C to +1 °C; Pomegranates +5 °C to +7 °C; Mangoes +10 °C to +13 °C; Onions / potatoes +2 °C to +5 °C; Dates +4 °C to +8 °C.
Humidity: 85–95% RH standard; adjustable per product.
Pre-cooling: product is field-cooled then pre-cooled at packhouse to within 2 °C of target setpoint before stuffing.
Temperature logging: GPS-linked reefer data loggers on every container with temperature, humidity, and position tracking. Logs shared post-voyage.
Ethylene management: ethylene-sensitive lines (leafy vegetables, stone fruit) shipped with ethylene scrubbers or separated in packing schedules.

Air freight operations

Cairo International (CAI) is the primary air-freight gateway. Cargo-dedicated flights and belly-hold capacity on passenger carriers serve every major European hub, the GCC, Central Asia, East Africa, and selected Asia-Pacific and North American destinations.

Packing for air: IATA-compliant cartons, pre-cooled, loaded at destination-matched temperature, shrink-wrapped or edge-protected palletisation.
Transit: 4–6 hours Cairo–Europe; 3–5 hours Cairo–GCC; 6–8 hours Cairo–Central Asia; 8–10 hours Cairo–East Asia (via hub).
Door-to-door: 24–48 hours typical, including Cairo pickup, airport handling, flight, destination handling, and buyer delivery.
Best for: strawberries, lychee, fresh Khalal dates, premium mango cultivars, and any sample shipment.

Cold-chain protocol

AFRICAFRESH EXPORT operates farm-to-port cold chain with documented temperature control at every handover point:

Field harvest — harvested at target maturity, same-day transport to pre-cooling facility.
Pre-cooling — hydrocooling or forced-air cooling to within 2 °C of shipping setpoint.
Quality grading — caliber, Brix, colour, and defect inspection to buyer specification; Class 1 default.
Packing — export cartons per buyer specification; private label where applicable.
Packhouse storage — temperature-controlled holding, max 48 h before loading.
Reefer pre-cooling — empty reefer pre-cooled at the port; stuffed at target temperature.
Transit — GPS-logged reefer data, vessel temperature recordings, post-voyage report.
Buyer handover — port-of-arrival inspection; 48-hour window to raise any quality dispute.

Incoterms supported

FOB (Free On Board) — Port Said, Alexandria, Damietta. Seller delivers to vessel; buyer takes responsibility from ship's rail.
CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) — buyer's nominated port. Seller covers ocean freight and marine insurance to destination port.
EXW (Ex Works) — farm gate or packhouse. Buyer arranges all onward logistics.
DAP (Delivered At Place) — buyer's warehouse or specified inland delivery point, available for air freight and short-transit reefer destinations.
CFR (Cost and Freight) — buyer's nominated port without marine insurance; buyer insures separately.

Most European buyers prefer CIF; GCC buyers often use FOB; EXW is used by buyers with owned inland logistics in Egypt.

Plan your next Egyptian consignment

Request a logistics-costed quote with origin port, destination, volumes, incoterms, and required temperature setpoints. Our logistics coordinators respond within one business day.

Request a Quote