Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Vice Admiral Osama Rabie received on Wednesday Regional Director of Belgian company DEME Amadeo Perron to discuss prospects for future co-operation.
The meeting marked more than 70 years of co-operation between the two sides in dredging and marine engineering.
Rabie expressed appreciation for the strategic partnership and stressed SCA’s commitment to continued co-ordination.
He also highlighted interest in learning about the latest global dredging technologies.
Rabie said the SCA had modernised its marine dredging fleet by adding the “Mohab Mameesh” and “Hussein Tantawy” dredgers, the newest and largest of their kind in the Middle East. The two dredgers played an active role in the South Sector Development Project.
He noted that SCA’s dredging fleet expanded operations beyond the Canal and now participates in major national projects, including the development of Egyptian ports and the dredging and development of lakes.
Rabie reviewed potential areas of co-operation, including the maintenance and repair of dredgers and marine units at SCA shipyards, as well as possible co-operation and partnership in dredger hull construction.
Perron expressed DEME’s interest in further co-operation with the Suez Canal Authority and noted the company’s participation in dredging works for several Canal development projects.
These projects included the New Suez Canal project, where dredging volumes reached 41 million cubic metres using a fleet of 10 dredgers.
Perron said the long-standing partnership with the Suez Canal has created promising opportunities for joint work and knowledge exchange.
He also expressed confidence in the Suez Canal and its development projects.
At the end of the meeting, Perron presented the Suez Canal Museum in Ismailia with a scale model of “Spartacus,” DEME’s latest dredger. The gesture reflected the deep historical relationship between the two sides.
