Egypt Exports First Locally Built Tugboats to European Market
The export marks Egypt's entry into the European market for locally manufactured marine vessels.
Four tugboats built at Egypt's South Red Sea Shipyard have been sold to Italian maritime company Neri, marking the country's first export of locally manufactured marine units to the European market.
According to Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie, contracts have also been signed to export two additional tugboats and a custom-built yacht from the same shipyard.
Rabie said the South Red Sea Shipyard has been transformed over the past two and a half years from a small repair facility into a manufacturing hub producing tugboats, fishing vessels and yachts. So far, the shipyard has built 16 tugboats, with 10 delivered to the Suez Canal Authority and four exported to Italy.
He added that work is also underway on a programme to build 100 deep-sea fishing vessels measuring between 25 and 50 metres in length. The first two vessels are scheduled for delivery by the end of June, with another two expected before the end of the year. The boats are equipped with advanced fishing technologies, including sonar systems, and are intended to support fishing operations and potential partnerships with countries including Comoros, Mauritania, Senegal, Somalia, Eritrea and Yemen.
According to Rabie, the Suez Canal Authority's strategy centres on developing the canal's navigational channel, modernising its marine fleet and expanding exports of Egyptian-built maritime products.
The wider manufacturing programme also includes Azm tugboats with a 90-ton bollard pull, Rizq deep-sea fishing vessels, a 60-passenger electric river bus for Cairo Governorate and tourist launches.
