The harbour is in the mouth of a gulf continuing seaward through a coral-free channel 18�26 meters (60�85 ft) deep. Imports include machinery, vehicles, fuel oil, and building materials. Cotton, gum arabic, oil seeds, hides and skins, and senna are the chief exports. Port Sudan has an oil refinery to handle the petroleum from onshore wells, as well as an oil pipeline to Khartoum that was completed in 1977.
A rail line links the Red Sea to the River Nile. The railroad was used to transport the nation's cotton and sesame seed as well as sea salt from salt-evaporating pans.
The city is home to Red Sea University, established in 1994
