Egyptian Military News

The Egyptian Navy has officially received its first Type-209/1400 submarine at the German city of Kiel to support the naval troops,  says the government sources. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has formally handed over the first two of four Type 209/1400 mod diesel-electric submarines (SSK) to the Egyptian Navy. During a ceremony in Kiel city, the Commander of the Egyptian Navy Lieutenant General Osama Mounir hoisted the Egyptian flag on the submarine signalling its beginning of service at the Egyptian military forces. Mounir stated that the new submarine is a “great technological addition” to Egypt’s navy and will further its capability to bolster Egyptian national security.

Egyptian air and naval forces departed to Greece to participate in the joint Greek-Egyptian military aeronautical exercise, named “Medusa 2016”. Egypt’s Ministry of Defence said that the joint manoeuvres, which was held last year for the first time, will take place from 8 to 12 December. The exercise came in the framework of the joint cooperation between the two countries to confront the Mediterranean growing challenges and as part of the Egyptian armed forces plan for exercises with friendly and brotherly states. The drill  includes several activities that involve planning and administering joint naval operations and operating day and night sailing formations, maritime interception operations and inspecting suspicious ships, and search and rescue procedures.

The cockpit voice recorder from EgyptAir flight MS804 has been retrieved by search teams in a breakthrough for investigators seeking to explain what caused the plane to crash into the sea killing all 66 people on board. The Airbus A320 plunged into the Mediterranean early on May 19 on its way from Paris to Cairo. Since then, search teams have worked against the clock to recover the two black box recorders crucial to explaining what went wrong, before they stop emitting signals in about a week.

China is offering to build submarines for Egypt that are cheaper than vessels on offer from Germany, sources told Reuters, as Beijing looks to enhance weapons exports over a normal patron bottom in Asia. According to sources, Beijing has sought to undercut Western submarine makers on price and by offering attractive export-credit terms for sales in Asia. It has won deals with Pakistan and Bangladesh so far. China displaced Germany as the world’s third-largest arms exporter,   though nearly 70 percent of those weapons went to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, says the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in March. An Egyptian military source confirmed that China had offered to sell submarines to Cairo. “We are studying it, but it is not an easy decision,” the source said.

Egypt's Islamic State affiliate said on Thursday it fired a rocket at an Egyptian naval vessel in the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of Israel and the Gaza Strip. The militant group Sinai Province has focussed mainly on attacking Egyptian soldiers and police in the Sinai peninsula, killing hundreds since the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013 after mass protests against his rule. Photographs distributed online by the group appeared to show a rocket heading towards a ship and setting it ablaze on impact. Reuters could not verify the militants' version of events. The Egyptian military said in a statement that a coastguard launch had exchanged shots with "terrorist elements", causing the vessel to catch fire. It said there was no loss of life.

Egypt has ordered an investigation into an accident in which a Kuwaiti container ship and a fishing vessel collided in the Red Sea in an incident that killed 13 Egyptians. A statement from the prosecutor's office said initial enquiries showed the fishing boat capsized after it and the Kuwaiti ship hit each other after the latter has passed through the Suez Canal. The collision is at least the second such recent incident involving vessels passing through the Suez Canal. In September…

In light of the recent shipping vessel attack on the Suez Canal (Suez Canal Authority, August 31st, 2013), Nexus Consulting is announcing the release of recommendations for merchant vessels traveling through the canal. The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has noted that an attack on a commercial container ship (Cosco Asia) occurred on August 31, 2013, on the eastern side of the canal at El-Sharqiya (map attached) as the ship was transiting northbound. The ship has since cleared the…

What is the consequence of violating the curfew 
- The curfew is enforced at strategic points by armed security (police/army) and it depends on the situation and persons, violators may be arrested. In case of emergencies it is recommended to contact the local correspondents for assistance if activity after curfew hours is necessary for some reason. Is it safe to travel between cities and ports - say for example if a crew changeover is being planned 
- Our correspondents advise that it is generally safe to travel between cities and ports during daytime, while safety during night is not guaranteed. Members may wish to consider whether to undertake crew change-overs in Egypt during the current period.

Paramarine advanced marine design software, developed by QinetiQ GRC, has been selected by the Egyptian Military Technical College (MTC) to support the teaching of ship and submarine design. MTC is one of Egypt’s leading technical colleges and has evolved into a comprehensive teaching centre of national and international prominence. MTC offers a wide range of courses including electrical, mechanical chemical, aerospace and civil and architectural engineering, offering more degree programs than any other college of engineering in the country. MTC also ranks among the top research facilities in Egypt. The college's faculty and students are involved in more than 30 research projects in fields ranging from biotechnology to materials…