Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Turkish naval ship TCG Büyükada visits Alexandria Port
Alexandria, Egypt – The Turkish naval corvette TCG Büyükada made a high-profile visit to Alexandria Port, capping a three-month journey across the Indian Ocean to Malaysia, and highlighting deepening ties between Turkey and Egypt.
Built entirely in Turkey using domestic resources and technology, the 99-meter-long TCG Büyükada represents a significant achievement for Turkish maritime industry. Its combat, propulsion, and management systems are all locally manufactured, underlining Turkey’s growing self-sufficiency in defense production.
The ship, which carried out a series of friendly visits to ports around the Indian Ocean, returned from Malaysia by sailing through the Suez Canal before arriving in Alexandria for her final stop. During this special visit, the TCG Büyükada will also participate in a joint training exercise with an Egyptian naval vessel, reflecting ongoing defense cooperation between the two countries.
On Monday, Turkey’s Ambassador to Cairo, Salih Mutlu Şen, visited the ship and was received with official military honors.
That evening, Ambassador Şen, along with the ship’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Anıl Bilgin, hosted a reception onboard. The event was attended by Egyptian naval leaders including Northern Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Samir Nada, Alexandria Naval Base Commander Rear Admiral Mahmoud Abdel Sattar, Dr. Hazem Omar—Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Egyptian Senate—as well as consuls from other countries in Alexandria, notable Egyptian public figures and members of the press.
In his remarks, Commander Bilgin emphasized that several Turkish ships have visited Alexandria over the past year, underscoring Turkey’s commitment to building closer collaboration with Egypt in the defense industry field.
Ambassador Şen praised the ship’s crew for their successful voyage and expressed gratitude to the Egyptian Navy for their warm welcome. However, he also expressed sorrow over the recent tragic loss of 12 Turkish soldiers due to methane gas poisoning, acknowledging that their grief cast a shadow over the otherwise celebratory occasion.
Ambassador Şen reiterated Turkey’s willingness to reinforce military and industrial defense cooperation with Egypt, expressing hope that ships like TCG Büyükada, designed and built in Turkey, could one day be produced jointly at Alexandria’s shipyards. He stressed Turkey’s openness to such future collaborations, aiming for greater peace, security, and stability—both regionally and internationally.
The Ambassador also reflected on Alexandria’s special historic role in Turkish-Egyptian naval relations, recalling Sultan Abdulaziz’s visit to Egypt in 1863, beginning from Alexandria aboard the ship “Feyz-i Cihad”, and the life of Mahmud Mukhtar Pasha, a former Turkish naval minister who spent his final years in Egypt. These shared historical memories, he noted, testify to the deep connections and mutual naval traditions between Turkey and Egypt.
The visit of TCG Büyükada stands as a symbol of enduring cooperation and shared heritage between the two nations, offering hope for growing partnership in the years ahead.