Egyptian Navy selects Swiftships’ patrol boats
Swiftships will build six new patrol boats for the Egyptian Navy under a new agreement announced on 5 November. Contract negotiations are being finalised and procurement of materials will begin before 2015.
The 35 metre patrol boat was selected for the Egyptian Navy following a technical evaluation on behalf of the Egyptian government.
The vessels will be built under a co-production programme between the Egyptian government and Swiftships that was put in place for the build of four 28 meter Patrol Boats between 2010 and 2014. The six patrol boats will be constructed at the Egyptian Ship Building and Repairs Company (ESBRC) in Alexandria, Egypt. The construction will be performed by in-country labour with Swiftships’ support and supervision.
Shehraze Shah, CEO, Swiftships, said: ‘The participation of Swiftships with a public entity and a strong financial arm can enhance the shipbuilding and ship repair trade; as a result, infrastructure, modernisation and employment can flourish in the region in which co-production is applied.’
The 35m patrol boat is designed for the containment and defeat of a wide range of aerial and subsea enemy threats. The hull and superstructure are constructed of all-welded aluminium alloy. The hull includes seven watertight bulkheads forming eight watertight compartments. Boats can be refuelled at sea using side-by-side procedures, and run on diesel fuel.
Swiftships has built a total of 23 boats for the Egyptian Navy including mine hunters, survey vessels, and both steel and aluminium patrol boats.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition]()
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
-
![How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?]()
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
![Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment]()
Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
-
![South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest]()
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.
