During the crossing, the floating dock was towed by POSH Hawk tugboat, which escorted it from SANG SANGIN shipyard in South Korea – where it was built – to Egypt.  

The crossing of the floating dry dock took about 24 hours. It required some preliminary measures to ensure direct passage without stopping in the waiting area on the Great Lakes and without affecting the movement of ship traffic in the canal.

A group of canal pilots, assisted by three tugs belonging to the Authority, supervised the operation.

Rabie affirmed that the Pride of the Canal adds new capabilities in ship repair and maintenance for large ships and naval units transiting the canal, including those belonging to the Authority (such as giant dredges) whose dimensions correspond to those of the new floating dry dock.  

He added that the new dry dock also accords with the Authority’s strategy to diversify sources of income by providing additional services to transiting vessels, developing the external repair system, and utilizing the location of the shipyard in the northern entrance of the canal.

Furthermore, the chairman of the SCA pointed out that the new floating dry dock is the latest addition to the Port Said Naval Base, which includes three other floating docks used for the maintenance and repair of ships and naval units belonging to the Authority, with capacities ranging from 5,000 to 25,000 tons.

The installation process of the dock at Port Said shipyard involves careful planning to ensure the floating dock is securely positioned, allowing for efficient ship repair and maintenance operations, Rabie noted.

The expertise and knowledge of the team, accompanied by the support of the Korean shipyard experts, will play a crucial role in ensuring the successful integration of the floating dry dock into the Port Said Naval Base, he explained.