Alexandria: The Egyptian Navy has taken delivery of its first locally produced Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugboat, named Ras El-Hekma, from the Alexandria Shipyard. This significant milestone was announced by the Egyptian Armed Forces.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the Ras El-Hekma is the first of three tugboats being built under a contract between the Navy and Alexandria Shipyard, in collaboration with the French classification society Bureau Veritas (BV). The RASTR 3200 model tugboat boasts an 85-ton bollard pull capacity and superior manoeuvrability, and it is equipped with systems from leading global maritime suppliers.

This delivery marks a first for Egypt’s marine industry, which has now successfully manufactured this model of tugboat. Alexandria Shipyard aims to leverage this achievement to enter the global tugboat market and establish itself as a regional hub for building and exporting this class of tugboats in the future.

The handover ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Ashraf Atwa, Commander of the Egyptian Navy and Chairman of the Marine Industries and Services Authority. Other attendees included Rear Admiral Hossam El-Din Ezzat, Chairman of Alexandria Shipyard, senior Navy officials, BV representatives, and delegates from prominent international maritime companies.