Friday, 09 October 2026
Suez Canal Authority launches three tugs, starts work on five more
Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie attended the launch of three new tugs and the start of construction on five others at the authority’s affiliated Timsah Shipbuilding Company, the authority said in a statement.
The vessels are part of efforts to expand Egypt’s domestic shipbuilding capacity and upgrade tug and pilotage services, the statement said.
The three launched tugs are the Khedma 1, being built for Damietta Port Authority; the Azima 11, for the Suez Canal Authority; and the Ezz Eddin Younes 2, for the Canal Company for Ports and Major Projects, an authority affiliate.
The Khedma 1 is 18.6 metres long and 6.9 metres wide, with a 2.2-metre draught at full load. It has a bollard pull of 20 tonnes and a top speed of 10 knots.
The other two tugs have the same dimensions and draught, with a bollard pull of 12 tonnes each and a top speed of 11 knots.
Rabie also witnessed the keel-laying for five tugs being built for the Red Sea Ports Authority: two with a bollard pull of 70 tonnes and three with a pull of 20 tonnes. Keel-laying marks the start of a vessel’s construction.