Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority to deliver first clean-energy ferries next month

Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) will hand over five Bahar-class landing crafts next month, the country’s first clean-energy ferries built domestically, SCA Chairman Osama Rabie said on Tuesday.

Rabie oversaw welding work on one ferry and one landing craft during an inspection of Port Said facilities, where he also reviewed a new maintenance centre designed to provide annual overhauls – a service not previously offered to clients.

The inspection covered several ongoing projects, including a 1,500-square-metre administrative building in Gouna, a 500-square-metre technical workshop that is 70 per cent complete, and a diesel workshop for locomotive, landing craft and electrical maintenance.

At the Port Said Naval Shipyard, Rabie reviewed welding of a 320-ton ferry pair measuring 50 metres long, 15 metres wide, and with a 1.5-metre draft. He also inspected progress on the Al-Nasr floating bridge, comprising five pontoons now 30 per cent complete, and a 20-ton tugboat that has reached 20 per cent completion.

The chairman checked repair works on four floating docks that service 80 vessels and toured the Abrantieh Vocational Training Centre, where new diving and technical drawing courses are being introduced.

At the Port Said Engineering and Marine Construction Company, Rabie inspected aluminium landing craft production, with each unit measuring 15.3 metres in length, 4.7 metres in width, and a 1.35-metre draft.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English

Subediting: Y.Yasser