Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) took its first step into international maritime exports after its tugboat manufacturing arm signed a deal with Italy's Neri Group to sell two 90-ton tugboats, SCA Chairman Osama Rabie announced Wednesday. The agreement, signed at the SCA headquarters in Ismailia, marks a milestone in Egypt's push to localise shipbuilding and revive the country's once-prominent marine industry. The tugboats will be built by Misr Tugboats Factory Company, a subsidiary of the Suez Canal Company for Modern Boats, which is jointly owned by the SCA and South Red Sea Shipyard (SRSS). Under the deal, the Egyptian company will manufacture two ASD tugboats, each with a bollard pull of 90 tonnes, for delivery to NERI Group in the first quarter of next year. The contract was signed by Suez Canal Modern Boats CEO Mostafa El-Degishi and NERI Group Chairman Piero Neri, who said the deal was the beginning of long-term cooperation with the SCA and expressed hope for more joint projects in the future. The tugboats are of the Rastar 3200-W class, designed for high performance in ports and waterways. The company is also continuing work on Azm-class tugboats for the SCA and on 12 deep-sea fishing vessels equipped with modern fishing and freezing technologies. Rabie said the contract "represents a vote of confidence" in Egyptian shipbuilding and reflects the success of efforts to strengthen the "Made in Egypt" brand in global maritime markets. "This is an unprecedented achievement that restores the leadership of Egypt's national shipyards and returns them to regional competition," he added. Rabie said Egypt's maritime exports highlight the country's growing role in the global marine industry and reinforce its strategy to expand industrial partnerships with the private sector in line with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's directives. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
