Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), Vice Admiral Osama Rabiee, and head of Italy’s NERI Group Piero Neri, witnessed on Wednesday the signing of a new contract for the export of two 80-tonne bollard pull tractor tugs. The move came in line with directives from President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to localise the maritime industry.
The agreement was signed by CEO of the Suez Canal Company for Modern Boats, Mostafa el-Degheishi, and Piero Neri, in the presence of Corrado Neri, Commercial Managing Director of the Italian group.
As per the terms of the agreement, Suez Canal Modern Boats Company will build and deliver two tractor tugboats for the Italian NERI Group. The vessels, designed by internationally renowned naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd., will feature 80-tonne bollard pull capacity and forward ASD propulsion systems under the supervision of Italian classification society RINA.
Both tugboats will share identical specifications, measuring 30 metres in length, 12.8 metres in width, with a depth of 4.9 metres, a speed of 12 knots, and an 80-tonne bollard pull capacity.
Following the signing ceremony, Rabie and Piero Neri reviewed progress on the construction of two 90-tonne bollard pull “Azm” tugboats of the “RAstar 3200-W” class, currently being built by Suez Canal Modern Boats Company for NERI Group. The vessels are being constructed under a contract signed between the two sides in mid-October last year.
Rabie affirmed that the Suez Canal aims to position itself as a regional hub for the manufacturing and construction of maritime units under the slogan “Made in Egypt with Global Quality,” noting that continued co-operation with the Italian NERI Group represents a new milestone demonstrating the capability of Egyptian shipyards to export to European markets.
For his part, Piero Neri expressed his commitment to boosting co-operation with the SCA by expanding future business in maritime tugboat construction.
Meanwhile, Corrado Neri, Commercial Managing Director of the NERI Group, expressed confidence that the near future would witness broader co-operation between the two sides.
