Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), Admiral Osama Rabie, has reaffirmed continued progress in localising maritime manufacturing, in line with directives from President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, aiming to modernise the SCA’s fleet and strengthen national capabilities in the sector.
Rabie made the remarkduring an inspection tour of the South Red Sea Shipyard Company, where he reviewed construction of “Azm”-class tugboats with a bollard pull of 90 tonnes at Misr Tugboat Factory.
He SCA chief was received by company chairman Moustafa El-Degishy and senior officials, according to an SCA statement.
The tour included inspection of six tugboats under construction, following the delivery of four units, as well as progress on three additional tugboats being assembled for export.
Admiral Rabie also reviewed work at the Suez Canal Modern Boats Company — a joint venture with the shipyard — where fibreglass hulls for three tourist launches have been completed and are undergoing final outfitting.
He further inspected construction of 12 “Rizk”-class deep-sea fishing vessels, noting that four hulls have been completed, two vessels fully equipped, and work is underway on a fifth vessel based on a model currently operating in Australia.
The tour also covered infrastructure upgrades, including completion of interior works at a three-storey administrative building.
Rabie directed the swift operational readiness of the facility and completion of two 50-tonne cranes to boost production capacity.
He was also briefed on construction of a 60-passenger electric river bus for Cairo, supervised by Italian firm RINA, marking a step forward in developing Egypt’s river transport fleet.
Rabie stressed adherence to quality, timelines and safety standards, alongside continued technical training, adding that strong political support and private sector partnerships are enabling Egypt to expand into regional and global maritime markets.
