JEDDAH, 16 October 2006 — More than 4,000 Egyptian Umrah pilgrims are stuck in Jordan and at two Egyptian ports because of failing transportation procedures that were agreed on following the drowning of pilgrims in the Red Sea earlier this year.

The pilgrims are currently stuck at the Jordanian port of Aqaba and two Egyptian ports. Saudi and Egyptian authorities decided on new transportation procedures after a sharp drop in pilgrims sailing across the Red Sea from Egypt. The drop came as a result of the capsizing of the Al-Salam ship in February. In addition, many vessels that would ferry between Egypt and the Kingdom went out of service without any alternative ships taking their place.

Saudi representatives of Egyptian travel and tourism agencies have further exasperated the delay by being unable to provide sufficient means of transportation from Aqaba. Others blame the lack in transportation on Saudi bus companies who have insufficient number of buses.

Hajj Barakat, the owner of the Al-Baron Agency for Egyptian Tourism, confirmed that Egyptian Umrah pilgrims traveling to the Kingdom from the north have been delayed on many occasions. “In the last days of Ramadan, delays have doubled to the extent that the Umrah pilgrims have ended up spending up to seven days in those regions until they are able to enter the Kingdom,” he said. “These mostly elderly pilgrims face a number of problems. These areas in the Kingdom are not able to house such large numbers of people. There are no bathrooms, proper accommodation or even drinking water,” he added.

Emad Suleiman, one of the organizers of a Saudi land transportation company employed for the transportation of Umrah and Haj pilgrims, said the Saudi Haj Ministry had addressed the issue before the start of the Ramadan season. “The ministry had made it mandatory that vehicles transporting pilgrims should not be pre-2001 models,” he said.

The ministry’s decision came in the wake of the alarming rate of accidents and breakdowns of dilapidated buses plying this route. Suleiman said the Saudi companies that were contracted did not have enough number of buses. “This in turn contributed to the pilgrims being stranded for days before their being able to enter the Kingdom,” he added.

Adel Abdulqawi, an Egyptian in the Kingdom, said he had received a call from his family more than a week ago, informing him of their journey to the Kingdom. The group also included his mother — in her 60s — who was coming to perform Umrah. “My mother is still stranded. I’ve been trying to reach those supervising the trip on their mobile phones for days. I keep receiving a message saying that the number is out of service and that implies they have not yet entered Saudi Arabia,” said Abdulqawi. Umrah pilgrims — who were contracted by the same Egyptian tourism company as his mother and had preceded her — told him that they were stranded for five days at Aqaba. They added that travel time by land that usually is two days is now extended to eight days.

“They should get more bus companies onto the project in bringing these pilgrims to the Kingdom. An expansion would provide a large enough fleet to ensure operations run smoothly. This in turn would resolve the delay and give comfort to pilgrims,” added Abdulqawi. He feared that the number of those stranded would increase over the coming days as more pilgrims travel to the Kingdom to perform Umrah.