The Minister of the Interior, Local Authorities and Transport, Said Sayoud, chaired a management meeting dedicated to evaluating maritime and rail freight transport, with the aim of enhancing service quality and supporting the national economic momentum.
During the meeting, the minister discussed maritime freight transport, particularly the status of the fleet owned by the National Navigation Company (CNAN) and the evolution of its management indicators. In this regard, Mr Sayoud called for strengthening the company’s management efficiency by ensuring rigorous monitoring of ship maintenance and rehabilitation works while assessing their economic profitability, according to a ministry statement. He also emphasized the need to “broaden the company’s commercial horizons, in line with the national economic momentum, and to improve its competitiveness in import-export operations.”
He called, in this context, for close coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and regular consultation with economic operators, particularly within the Algerian Council for Economic Renewal (CREA), the same source added. Mr Sayoud also stressed the modernization of port infrastructures, reinforcing the material and logistical means necessary for loading, unloading, and storage operations, to ensure “fluidity and flexibility” in the maritime freight transport chain for foreign trade while reducing delays and costs.
Furthermore, Mr Sayoud insisted on the need to quickly correct malfunctions recorded on certain railway lines, especially delays and repeated breakdowns. He called for providing better quality service that meets citizens’ expectations while improving freight transport by rail and the sector’s profitability.
He also emphasized the continuation of structural and managerial reforms in freight transport through ongoing evaluation of economic performance, infrastructure modernization, and upgrading of equipment to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness.
Among the instructions given were also strengthening control at stations and level crossings to limit dangerous behaviors, as well as the possibility of entrusting train security to specialised companies according to specific terms of reference.
The minister welcomed the positive results achieved last summer, thanks to the return to service of seven rehabilitated Coradia trains, and ordered the acceleration of repairs and reintegration of the other trains as soon as possible. He also praised the results obtained in fighting sand accumulation on southern railway lines, noting that no train cancellations have been recorded until October 2025, compared to over a thousand annual cases before 2022.
In addition, he encouraged the use of specialised expertise and collaboration with start-ups and young innovators, who bring smart solutions to technical problems and improve overall performance.
The meeting also reviewed the modernization project of Algiers Airport and efforts to improve the services offered there. The minister mentioned the programme to import 10,000 buses as part of renewing the national land passenger transport fleet, calling to revise the specifications to raise service standards, particularly in terms of welcoming, security, cleanliness, and training of transport operators.