The Type-209/1400 submarine, built by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, gives a technological boost to the Egyptian navy, bolstering its ability to defend national security and protect Egypt's coasts and territorial waters from potential threats. The submarine, on which Admiral Osama Mounir Rabie, Commander of the Egyptian Navy, hoisted the Egyptian flag signalling its entrance into service during a handover ceremony in Germany's northern port city of Kiel, has a range of 11,000 nautical miles and a speed of 21 knots. It has the capacity to fire missiles and torpedoes and has been fitted with state-of-the-art navigation and communication systems.
The crews that will operate and maintain the navy's new acquisition were trained in record time. A training programme, conducted in Egypt and Germany, was designed to familiarise participants with the latest developments in submarine technology and equip them with the skills and knowhow to perform whatever missions are assigned to them by the Armed Forces Command.
The commander of the Egyptian navy conveyed greetings from President and Supreme Commander of the Egyptian Armed Forces Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and Minister of Defence and Commander General of the Egyptian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Sedki Sobhi to the German Navy, the ThyssenKrupp corporation and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and thanked them for their support of Egypt's submarine programme.
In his speech at the handover ceremony Rabie said the Egyptian Armed Forces are committed to a comprehensive strategy of development and modernisation of the Egyptian navy in order to strengthen security in the areas in which it operates and boost its ability to face growing threats in the region. He noted that Egypt was a regional pioneer in the development of naval forces and, six decades ago, was the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to introduce submarines into its fleet. The Type-209/1400 submarines will be the most advanced components of the Egyptian navy and promise to enhance its ability to safeguard maritime security, protect Egypt's borders and economic interests in the Red Sea and Mediterranean and the freedom and safety of navigation in these waters, serve as a deterrent force and bolster the security of the Suez Canal. The admiral underscored how much the Egyptian leadership values Egyptian-German relations and the closeness between their points of view on many international issues, not least the battle against terrorism and attempts to halt illegal immigration. He added that Egypt will continue to act as a force for peace and justice and, towards this end, is committed to developing strong relations with its allies and partners, enhancing cooperation with them in order to realise greater security and stability in the Middle East.
The handover ceremonies were attended by Vice Admiral of the German Navy Rainer Brinkmann, German Federal Ministry of Defence Parliamentary State Secretary Markus Grübel, the Egyptian Ambassador to Germany Ambassador Badr Abel-Ati, the Egyptian Consul-General in Hamburg, the Egyptian military attaché in Germany and senior German officials.
