Egypt has received a second of four submarines from Germany, to protect the marine borders and economic interests in the Red and Mediterranean seas along with the Suez Canal.
Egypt and Germany signed the contract to receive the German-made submarine Type 42, model 209, on December 12, 2011. The construction of the vessel, by the TKMS company in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, began March 7, 2012.
The handing over of the submarine was witnessed by Navy Commander Ahmed Khaled Saeed, Vice Admiral Rainer Brinkmann, Deputy Chief of Staff of the German Navy, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Alexander Dobrindt, and representatives of TKMS company.
According to the navy, the new submarine is able to sail for 11,000 nautical miles, reaching a speed of 21 knots.
Its length ranges between 60:73 meters, its displacement is up to 1400 tons and it has the ability to fire rockets and torpedoes.
“We are witnessing a new phase in the history of our naval forces and a new cycle of its development in of terms quantity and quality, to rank amid the world’s active navies,” said Navy Commander Ahmed Khaled Saeed.
The crew that will man the submarine was trained in both Germany and Egypt.
