The vessel, boasting an 85-ton bollard pull capacity, was constructed at the Alexandria Shipyard in collaboration with the French company Bureau Veritas (BV).

Rear Admiral Engineer Hossam El-Din Ezzat, Chairman of Alexandria Shipyard, alongside senior Navy officials and representatives from BV also attended the event.

During the ceremony, Vice Admiral Atwa also inaugurated the operation of the Northern Slipway Gate, which has an 800-ton capacity.

The gate, measuring 32 meters long, 13.5 meters wide, and 6.5 meters deep, weighs over 120 tons.

Its design and construction were entirely carried out by engineers and technicians from Alexandria Shipyard.

Notably, the first tugboat of this series, Ras El Hikma, is scheduled to join the Navy's fleet before the end of 2024.

Additional tugboats of the same model are currently under construction for export markets.

These vessels mark the first outcomes of the new production line established at Alexandria Shipyard, in collaboration with the Canadian design firm Robert Allan Ltd.

The collaboration aims to manufacture this advanced class of tugboats domestically, according to the statement.

Alexandria Shipyard aims to expand the use of ASD-class tugboats across Egyptian ports due to their competitive cost—offering at least a 20 percent reduction compared to current models in use and saving 50 percent in foreign currency expenditures.

The tugboats also feature enhanced performance, including an 85-ton bollard pull, superior manoeuvrability, and state-of-the-art equipment supplied by leading global manufacturers.

Looking ahead, the shipyard plans to enter the global tugboat market with this new ASD model, positioning it as a breakthrough for Egyptian shipbuilding in international markets