Egypt's geographic location adds an important aspect to the maritime transport sector. Overlooking at both the Mediterranean and Red sea and having the Suez canal linking them, Egypt realized that it can play an important role at the international level so the government over the years overplayed the infra structure of a great maritime industry by building ports and supplying them with high tech equipments to handle cargoes and passengers. 

There are 41 ports in Egypt divided into commercial, Ore, Petroleum, Fishing and Tourestic ports. 

Among the most important ports are Alexandria which is the biggest port in Egypt, Dekheila which is a natural extend to Alexandria port. Damietta which has the largest container terminal and most sophisticated equipments in the Middle East, Ports Said and Suez ports at both ends of the Suez canal. 

It is historically recorded that Egypt was the first country to dig a man-made canal across its lands to connect the Mediterranean sea to the Red sea via the River Nile and its branches, that was in 1874 B.C. That canal was abandoned and reopened several times. 
The Suez canal is actually the first canal directly linking the Mediterranean sea to the Red sea. It was opened for international navigation on 17 November 1869.