: Egypt’s SCA, Italy’s NERI Group sign deal to export two tugboats

Ahram Online , Wednesday 20 May 2026

Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) signed a new agreement with Italy’s NERI Group on Wednesday to build and export two tugboats with a bollard pull of 80 tonnes, as Cairo seeks to expand its maritime manufacturing and shipbuilding sector.

Photo courtesy of Egypt's cabinet

The agreement was signed at the headquarters of Suez Canal Modern Boats Company in Safaga in the presence of SCA chairman Osama Rabie and NERI Group President Piero Neri.

Under the deal, the Egyptian company will build and sell two TRACTOR tugboats for the Italian group. The vessels, designed by international naval architecture firm Robert Allan and supervised by Italian classification society RINA, will feature front ASD propellers and a bollard pull of 80 tonnes.

Each tugboat will measure 30 metres in length, 12.8 metres in width, and 4.9 metres in depth, with a speed of 12 knots.

The signing follows a previous agreement reached in October 2025 for the construction of two Azm tugboats with a bollard pull of 90 tonnes for the Italian company.

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed the possibility of expanding cooperation to include the construction of two additional 90-tonne tugboats, a marine barge equipped with a 200-tonne crane, and a 35-metre tourist yacht.

Rabie said the agreement reflects Egypt’s efforts to localize maritime industries and expand exports of Egyptian-built marine vessels to foreign markets.

For his part, Piero Neri said the Italian group was looking to deepen cooperation with the SCA, citing competitive pricing and adherence to construction schedules by the Egyptian shipyard.