In a festive ceremony today, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems handed over the frigate “Al-Qadeer” to the Navy of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The handover took place in Bremerhaven.
The “Al-Qadeer” is the third in a series of four Meko A-200 EN frigates. The ceremony was attended by high-ranking Egyptian and German naval representatives. [ds_preview]
“Only half a year after the handover of the second frigate ‘Al-Qahhar’, another state-of-the-art ship has been successfully delivered to the Egyptian Navy today. The handover marks the official completion of the construction of the ships in Germany in record time. The fourth frigate will be completed in close cooperation with thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in Alexandria Shipyard,” said Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
Steel cut for “Al-Qadeer” took place three years ago
Production work on the “Al-Qadeer” began with the first steel cut in fall 2020, followed by keel laying in March 2021, launching in April 2022 and christening in October 2022. In a few days, the “Al-Qadeer” will set sail for Alexandria, Egypt.
Vice Admiral Ashraf Ibrahim Atwa, Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Navy, said: “In just 14 months, the Egyptian Navy has received the three Meko-A-200 frigates ‘Al-Aziz’, ‘Al-Qahhar’ and ‘Al-Qadeer’. These repeated occasions are proof of the good cooperation and friendship between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Federal Republic of Germany. As proud as the Egyptian Navy is of the acquisition of the Meko-A-200 frigates, Thyssenkrupp Marine must also be proud of the construction of these frigates. Just a few days ago, the fourth frigate, ‘Al-Jabbae’, was presented at the Egyptian defense exhibition EDEX 2023 in Cairo, which is expected to be delivered in October 2025.”
Thyssenkrupp to build a total of four ships
In 2018, the Arab Republic of Egypt commissioned Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems to build a total of four identical ships. The first three units, the “Al-Aziz”, the “Al-Qahhar” and the “Al-Qadeer” were built in Germany, while the fourth frigate is currently being built at the Alexandria Shipyard in Egypt.
With their wide range of defensive and offensive capabilities, the Meko-A-200 EN ships will play a central role in the Egyptian Navy’s fleet. In their class, they are among the most powerful frigates currently in service. The frigates are 121 meters long, 16 meters wide and can travel faster than 29 knots. Thanks to their stealth design, they are difficult to detect, according to the shipyard.
