Suez Canal Authority launches and receives new naval units
Cairo – Nاهد Imam
In line with the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Head of the Republic, to localize the manufacturing of marine units, Major General Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, witnessed the launching and handover ceremonies for several new marine units at the South Red Sea Shipyard in Safaga. He was accompanied by Dr. Walid El-Barqi, Governor of the Red Sea Governorate. They were received by Mostafa El-Dajishi, Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors, along with several senior executives and employees from various departments.
The ceremonies included the launching of two new tugboats of the “Azam” class, each with a bollard pull of 90 tons, as well as the handover of the first two excursion launches of the “Bahr” class. Additionally, final operational trials were conducted on two export tugboats of the “Azam” class, in preparation for their delivery to the Italian company NERI.
The technical specifications of the two newly launched tugboats, which are the fifth and sixth units built by the “Egypt Tugboat Factory” as part of the “Azam” series, are identical. Each tugboat measures 32 meters in length, 13.5 meters in width, and has a draft of 6 meters. They can reach a speed of 12 knots and have a bollard pull of 90 tons.
The excursion launches “Bahr 1” and “Bahr 2” are produced by the Fiberglass Factory of the Suez Canal Modern Boats Company. Constructed from wood and fiberglass, each launch has a total capacity of 15 passengers. Each launch is 17 meters long and 5 meters wide, with a speed of 21 knots. They are scheduled to operate for marine tourism purposes in the Suez Canal.
Following the ceremonies, Major General Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Authority, Dr. Walid El-Barqi, Governor of the Red Sea Governorate, and Mostafa El-Dajishi, Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors, inaugurated the shipyard’s new administrative building, which covers an area of 1,110 square meters. The building includes administrative offices, a conference hall, a meeting room, a dining hall, and reception rooms.
Major General Osama Rabie also inspected the construction works for the free industrial zone of the Suez Canal Modern Boats Company, which is being developed on an approximate area of 50,000 square meters. The zone is planned to include three factories, a covered storage yard, an open storage yard, an administrative building, a residential building, and a mosque.
The Chairman of the Authority stated that the partnership with the South Red Sea Shipyard, through the Suez Canal Modern Boats Company and the free zone, represents a strong launch into external markets under the slogan “Made in Egypt.”
Major General Osama Rabie added that the Suez Canal Modern Boats Company represents a unique experience and a model to be emulated in terms of integration and partnership with the private sector to enhance operational capacity and increase production and manufacturing rates, thereby enabling Egypt to establish its place on the industrial map and compete regionally.
For his part, Dr. Walid El-Barqi, Governor of the Red Sea Governorate, praised the Authority’s efforts to localize the manufacturing of various marine units in Egypt, support the capabilities of the national industry in this field, and maximize the utilization of the available potential in the city of Safaga, thereby reinforcing its position as a hub for various marine industries and services.
From his side, Mostafa El-Dajishi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the South Red Sea Shipyard, affirmed that the partnership with the Suez Canal Authority constitutes a qualitative leap that has resulted in a comprehensive transformation of the shipyard’s infrastructure. This includes the development of the shipyard yard, the upgrade of the 500-meter-long marine quay, and the equipping of the shipyard with cranes and hoists.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the South Red Sea Shipyard noted that the company is moving forward with the simultaneous execution of its contracts and commitments, ensuring adherence to the specified timelines for the delivery of various projects.
