Egypt took possession of its second German-made S42 Type 209, constructed by the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) shipbuilding company, during a military ceremony at the German port city of Kiel on Tuesday morning. The ceremony was attended by Commander of the Egyptian Navy Khaled Said, the Egyptian crew trained on the submarine, TKMS Representative Andreas Burmester and Vice Admiral of the German Navy Rainer Maria Brinkmann. The Egyptian flag was raised on the new submarine at the start of its trip to Egypt. After conveying the respects of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and Defence Minister Sidki Sobhi, Egyptian Naval Commander Said said: “I am proud to stand here today in the heartland of German industry and of submarine building in order to witness a new entry into the annals of bilateral cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the friendly German nation. Relations between our two countries date back hundreds of years. The first German school abroad opened in Cairo in 1873. It was followed by numerous German schools and institutes culminating in the founding of the German University in Cairo in 2003. As a result our cultures have opened up to one another, the waters of the Elbe have mixed with the waters of the Nile and the stones of Neuschwanstein Castle have fused with the stones of the Citadel of Salaheddin.” Said continued: “Today we are celebrating the commissioning into service of the second Egyptian Type 209/1400 submarine. We have already demonstrated that we possess the manpower capable of operating and maintaining this state-of-the-art vessel and handling its systems with the fullest competence. Egypt was the first country in the Middle East and Africa to incorporate submarines into its arsenal. Throughout the history of this weapon we find men who have recorded in glowing letters heroic feats in the course of successive wars.” “At a time of profound regional crises Egypt has maintained its unity and cohesion and has built and modernised its army. This is not strange for a country such as Egypt which has suffered throughout its millennia-long history the anguish of war and attempts at colonisation which all ended in failure due to the many successful battles fought by the Egyptian army which remains determined to preserve Egypt's land, people and identity.” “With the addition of this new submarine Egypt is augmenting its capacity to confront the challenges in our region, safeguard our resources and ensure complete control over our coasts along the Red Sea and Mediterranean.” Cairo received its first Type 209 submarine in April. The vessel on which the Egyptian flag was hoisted in Kiel is the second of the four submarines Egypt has ordered from Germany. The new submarine is able to sail for 11,000 nautical miles, reaching a speed of 21 knots. With a length of 60.73 metres, it has a displacement of up to 1,400 tons and the ability to fire surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes. Equipped with the latest navigation and communications systems, the submarine represents a major technological boost for the Egyptian navy.
