Safaga Joins a Turkey–India Container Route as Arkas and Turkon Expand Their Service
The two carriers have added Safaga to their joint Turkey–Red Sea–India service, giving Egypt's Red Sea coast a new direct link to Turkish export hubs, Jeddah and India's west coast.
4 August 2026
Safaga's run of port news continues: Turkish carriers Arkas Line and Turkon Line have added the port to their joint Turkey–Red Sea–India container service, according to the shipping research firm Dyna Liners.
The new rotation
Under the revised schedule, the service calls at:
- Turkey: Ambarli, Izmit, Aliağa, Mersin and Iskenderun
- Egypt: Safaga
- Saudi Arabia: Jeddah
- India: Nhava Sheva and Mundra, before returning to Ambarli
The carriers say the addition gives customers more flexibility for moving goods between Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and India, without affecting the line's direct links to India.
Why Safaga
The carriers describe Safaga as a gateway of growing importance for cargo heading to Upper Egypt and nearby markets. The revised network is expected to improve access to Egypt's Red Sea coast and give importers and exporters serving the region an additional option.
The move adds to a busy season for the port, which recently received its first container ships at the new multi-purpose Safaga 2 terminal. For the coast's economy, the pattern matters more than any single sailing: each new service that calls here makes the next carrier's decision to add Safaga easier.