Launch ceremony of the tugboats AZM 1 and AZM 2 at Misr Tugboats Factory in Safaga

• At a bollard-pull capacity of 90 tons, and of environment-friendly technology as well as advanced navigational features.
• Adm. Rabiee witnesses the launching of the tugboats AZM 1 and AZM 2 at Misr Tugboats Factory as a part of the efforts to localize building marine units and promote partnerships with the private sector.
• The two new tugboats are the first production of Misr Tugboats Factory amongst the primary production line building 10 tugboats for the Suez Canal Authority.
• The partnership with South Red Sea Shipyard is a fruit of the SCA’s strategy to maximize its revenues and diversify income streams.
  This partnership aims to create an integrated industrial community and provide 700 job opportunities so far.
• Launching the SCA’s largest tugboats of a bollard-pull capacity of 190 tons at Alexanderia Shipyard soon.. and completing the construction works of the touristic yachts factory.
• Chairman of South Red Sea Shipyard: “an expansion plan at the Red Sea Shipyard that includes the outer building yard as well as a quay wall and a crane of 850-ton capacity”.

Adm. Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, and Mr. Mostafa El-Dougishy, Chairman of the South Red Sea Shipyard, have witnessed today the launching ceremony of the tugboats AZM 1 and AZM 2 at Misr Tugboats Factory in Safaga. These tugboats are the first production of the Factory amongst the primary production line building 10 tugboats for the Suez Canal Authority. The ceremony was attended by H.E. Mr. Bart De Groof, Ambassador of Belgium in Cairo, Rear Admiral/ Ayman Saleh, Vice Chairman of the Red Sea Ports Authority, Rear Admiral/ Ramy Ismail, Commander of the Red Sea Navy Base, and Rear Admiral/Hossam Kotb, Chairman of Alexanderia Shipyard, a number of SCA Board Members as well as the Shipyard’s leadership and personnel.

This step comes within the framework of the the SCA’s ambitious strategy to develop and modernize its maritime fleet in accordance with the latest global technologies to cope with the rapid advancements in the maritime transport industry, and to meet the requirements of operations in the Canal in all various fields; including pilotage, direction and handling emergencies.

The two new tugboats are fruits of the SCA’s direction towards promoting cooperation with the private sector through finalizing a series of qualitative partnerships in the framework of its ambitious plan to maximize revenues and diversify income streams.

In his speech, Adm. Rabiee stressed that the SCA’s launching of the tugboats AZM 1 and AZM 2 represents a qualitative addition to the capabilities and potential of its maritime fleet in the field of maritime salvag, besides pilotage and direction, highlighting the AZM class significant bollard-pull capacity of 90 tons as well as its advanced navigational features and environment-friendly technology.

H.E. pointed out that the SCA is adopting an ambitious plan to transform into an Authority of a multitude of economic activities and a promising platform providing various maritime and logistical services which is reflected in the establishment of Misr Tugboats Factory and Egypt Yachts company, within the Safaga free zone, to localize the maritime industry.

Adm. Rabiee has also stressed that this partnership between the SCA and South Red Sea Shipyard is bringing about numerous developmental dimensions through the establishment of an integrated industrial community that provides job opportunities and contributes in capacitating technical personnel specialized in maritime industries through studying the foundation of a technical training center in accordance with the global technical standards.

H.E. has also underlined the positive impact of the partnership on supporting the development and expansion works at the South Red Sea Shipyard, most notably the construction of the outer building yard, the quay wall as well as supplying the auxiliary tools, machinery and equipment including a crane for marine units.

Adm. Rabiee has also stressed that this success wouldn’t have been realized if it weren’t for the constant support of President Abdel Fattah El-sisi to achieve the SCA’s ambitious plan towards localizing building various marine units in Egypt, pointing out that working to execute the new presidential mandates of developing the Egyptian fleet of fishing vessels by building 12 high-seas fishing vessels in cooperation with South Red Sea Shipyard as well as completing the construction works of the touristic yachts factory is in full swing.

H.E. has also unveiled that the SCA is preparing for launching its largest tugboat at a bollard-pull capacity of 190 tons, which is built at Alexanderia Shipyard, within the upcoming period.

And with regards to green transformation efforts, Adm. Rabiee has emphasized the SCA’s leading role in developing its fleet and expand it by the addition of environment-friendly units, as a part of the SCA’s strategy to announce that the Suez Canal is a “Green Canal” by 2030. That is to be achieved through working to reduce carbon emissions in accordance with the announced recommendations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

H.E. added that the SCA has recently announced one of its most prominent endeavours to provide environment-friendly services by launching the solid waste collection and removal service from Canal-transiting vessels through Antipollution Egypt. That is in cooperation with the field-leading “V Group” of Greece.

On his part, Mr. Mostafa El-Dougishy, Chairman of the South Red Sea Shipyard, has stated that launching the two tugboats is a milestone reflecting the fruitful cooperation with the SCA, stressing that the Company is committed to provide the highest quality standards in building marine units and contributing to localizing this strategic industry in Egypt.

He added that the two new tugboats are of identical dimensions; 32 m. in length, a beam of 13.5 m., a draft of 6 m. and their speed reaches 12 knots as per the unique design of the globally renowned naval architects “Robert Allan”, underlining that development hasn’t stopped since the Factory’s inauguration, and indeed the schedules and execution rates made for such development have been compressed to complete it in the soonest time possible, as the construction works of 4 more tugboats have been completed and will be launched within the upcoming period.

El-Dougishy explained that the AZM class tugboats are among the foremost environment-friendly marine units having primary machinery that enable them to reduce harmful carbon emissions. That is in addition to its technical features which include the increased power of the primary machinery from the Belgian company ABC and their longevity, as well as a special external firefighting system using a machine separate from the primary machinery to enable better control and maneuverability during fire emergencies at a capacity of 2400 m3.

He also lauded the constructive national partnership with the SCA as a cornerstone in the Company’s ambitious expansion plan that comprises three consecutive phases; the first of which was completed as the external building yard was expanded, the necessary maritime infrastructure was executed; a 140-meter quay wall equipped with mooring bollards of bollard-pull capacities ranging from 40 – 90 tons, as well as the construction of a reception quay to haul the vessels out of water, and furnishing the Shipyard with a hauling crane of a capacity of 850 tons.

After the ceremony, Adm. Rabiee inspected the Shipyard’s main yard to follow-up on the construction works of the four tugboats; AZM 3, AZM 4, AZM 5 and AZM 6, where the hull-building process is completed, and the mechanical and electrical works are currently underway as well as the necessary pipe works which are conducting simultaneously.

Source : PortSaid Chamber Of Shipping