Signing of a contract between the Egyptian Locomotive Building Factory and the Italian NERI Group for the sale of two 90-ton tugs

■ Lieutenant General Rabie: "The contract is a testament of confidence that reflects the success of the Suez Canal Authority's efforts to localize the maritime industry."

■ The start of external exports of Egyptian maritime industries is an unprecedented new achievement that restores leadership to national shipyards.

■ The head of the Italian group: "The contract is the beginning of joint cooperation with the Suez Canal... We hope that the coming period will witness new projects and contracts."

In the first step of exporting abroad, Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, witnessed the signing of an agreement between the Egyptian Locomotive Building Factory and the Italian NERI Group for the sale of two 90-ton tugs. The ceremony was attended by Lieutenant General Ashraf Atwa, Vice Chairman of the Authority, and a number of members of the Authority's Board of Directors and its leaders, at the Guidance Building in Ismailia Governorate.
The contract was signed by Mr. Mostafa El-Degishi, CEO of the Suez Canal Modern Boats Company, and Mr. Piero NERI, Chairman of the Italian group, in the presence of Engineer Hassan Kamal, Member of the Board of Directors of the Suez Canal Modern Boats Company.
The terms of the contract stipulate that the Egyptian Tugboat Factory will sell two tugs to the Italian NERI Group, each with a 90-ton pull and ASD propellers.
The Egyptian Tugboat Factory is one of the industrial entities of the Suez Canal Modern Boats Company, a product of the partnership between the Suez Canal Authority and the South Red Sea Shipyard Company. It comes in implementation of the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to strengthen partnerships with the private sector to localize the maritime industry and export abroad.
Lieutenant General Osama Rabie emphasized that the contract is a testament to the success of the Suez Canal Authority's efforts to localize the maritime industry and promote the slogan "Made in Egypt with Global Quality" for broader horizons that are more open to the outside world.
The Chairman of the Authority explained that the Suez Canal enjoys a global reputation, which earns its projects international attention and guarantees enhanced opportunities for cooperation, partnership, and exchange of expertise with numerous entities and institutions in friendly and partner countries.
Lieutenant General Rabie pointed out that the commencement of external exports is a new, unprecedented achievement that restores leadership to national shipyards and contributes to their return to regional competition. He emphasized that the Egyptian Locomotive Factory has presented a successful model of partnership with the private sector and has achieved strategic export goals in a record time of no more than a year and a half.
Mr. Mustafa El-Degishi, CEO of the Suez Canal Modern Boats Company, explained that the two tugs under contract are the "Rastar 3200-W" model, featuring a distinctive design suitable for use in ports, sea canals, and other diverse uses. The CEO of the Suez Canal Modern Boats Company indicated that the two contracted tugs are scheduled to be delivered during the first quarter of next year, God willing. This will coincide with the completion of construction work on the Azm-class tugs being built for the Suez Canal Authority, in addition to the project to build 12 deep-sea fishing vessels equipped with the latest fishing systems, rapid cleaning and freezing technology, and large storage capacity. For his part, Piero NERI, Chairman of the Italian group, expressed his happiness at the completion of the contract with the Suez Canal Authority to purchase two tugs from the Egyptian Tugboat Factory to join the group's marine tugs fleet, marking the beginning of joint cooperation between the two parties. He expressed his hope that the coming period would witness further cooperation through new projects and contracts that meet the NERI Group's requirements. It's worth noting that the Italian NERI Group, founded in 1895, specializes in providing marine services and solutions, operating and leasing tugs for maritime rescue, firefighting, mooring and docking services in ports, and other uses. Its scope of work extends to several Mediterranean countries.