Navy commander witnesses launch of 3rd ASD-type tugboat

CAIRO – 3 December 2024:  Commander of the Egyptian Navy Ashraf Atwa on Tuesday witnessed the launch of a third ASD-type tugboat with a bollard pull of 85 tons.

The vessel was the latest to be built at the Alexandria Arsenal in cooperation with the French Bureau Veritas (BV), which is an independent classification and inspection authority for the shipping and machine construction industry.

The local manufacture of this tugboat comes in light of the political leadership's directives and the General Command of the Armed Forces' keenness to localize several industrial sectors and develop armament capabilities.

The navy commander also witnessed the operation of the northern slipway new gate. The new gate measures 32 meters in length, 13.5 meters in width, and 6.5 meters in depth, with a weight exceeding 120 tons.

All design and construction works for the new gate were completed in-house by Alexandria Shipyard's engineers and technicians.

The first ASD-type tugboat is planned to join the navy's fleet before the end of 2024, while a number of ASD tugs are being constructed for export.

Alexandria Shipyard seeks to expand the use of ASD-type tugs across Egypt's ports, as they offer competitive pricing - which is 20% less from that of currently used tugs - and save up to 50% in foreign currency.