Egyptian Navy Unveils Game-Changing 85-Ton ASD Tugboat, Celebrating a New Era in Domestic Shipbuilding
In accordance with the mandates of the governmental leadership and the dedication of the Egyptian Armed Forces’ General Command to bolster the localization of domestic industries and enhance armament capabilities across various sectors, Vice Admiral Ashraf Atwa, Commander of the Egyptian Navy and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Maritime Industries and Services Organization, oversaw the inauguration ceremony of the third and final ASD-class tugboat, featuring a towing capacity of 85 tons.
The tugboat was assembled at Alexandria Shipyard in association with the French classification organization Bureau Veritas (BV), as part of a collaborative agreement between the Navy and Alexandria Shipyard.
The event was graced by Rear Admiral Engineer Hossam El-Din Ezzat, Chairman of Alexandria Shipyard, alongside numerous Navy officials and representatives from Bureau Veritas.
Furthermore, the Commander of the Egyptian Navy unveiled the northern slipway gate designated for the new tugboat. This vessel boasts a load capacity of up to 800 tons, a length of 32 meters, a width of 13.5 meters, and a draft of 6.5 meters, with a total weight surpassing 120 tons. All design and construction efforts for the gate were executed by engineers and technicians at Alexandria Shipyard.
It is notable that the first tugboat, Ras El Hikma, is anticipated to join the naval fleet before the conclusion of 2024. Additional units of this variant are presently under production for export, symbolizing the inaugural outputs of a new production line launched by Alexandria Shipyard in partnership with the Canadian design firm Robert Allan Ltd., aimed at fabricating this sophisticated type of tugboat for the first time in Egyptian shipyards.
