First natural gas shipment to leave for France

A Gas de France Ship is due to leave the Egyptian Mediterranean harbour of Edko in two days carrying the first shipment of liquified natural gas.

A consortium contract was signed last October between the French firm and the Egyptian company EgyGas to export 3.6 million cubic metres of natural gas to France over 20 years. The deal is worth US 450 million annually.

Economic Counsellor at the French embassy in Cairo, Herve Piquet, referred to the deal as one of the biggest ever between Egypt and France. Speaking to the Middle East News Agency he said that Egypt provides 10 per cent of France's natural gas needs.

Piquet added that very soon many French areas would be using the "Egyptian gas, noting that official celebrations to mark the usage of Egyptian gas would be built in France representatives from the UK and Malaysia will attend.