In a festive ceremony held in Bremerhaven on 15 December, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems handed over the frigate “AL-QADEER” to the Navy of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
“AL-QADEER” is the third in a series of four MEKO® A-200 EN frigates. The ceremony was attended by high-ranking representatives from the Egyptian and German Navy.
Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, said: “Just six months after the handover of the second frigate, ‘AL-QAHHAR’, another state-of-the-art ship was successfully delivered to the Egyptian Navy today. The handover marks the official completion of construction of the ships in Germany, all in record time. The fourth frigate will be completed at Alexandria Shipyard in close cooperation with thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.”
Production work on “AL-QADEER” began with the first steel cutting in autumn 2020, followed by keel laying in March 2021, launching in April 2022, and naming in October 2022. In a few days, “AL-QADEER” will set sail for Alexandria, Egypt.
Vice Admiral Ashraf Ibrahim Atwa, Commander in Chief of the Egyptian Navy, declared: “Within only 14 months, the Egyptian Navy received the three MEKO® A-200 Frigates AL-AZIZ, AL-QAHHAR and AL-QADEER. These repeated visits for the handovers are the actual proof of the extent of cooperation and friendship between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Federal Republic of Germany. As much the Egyptian Navy is proud to acquire the MEKO® A-200 frigates, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems must also be proud for building them.”
Earlier this month, at the Egyptian Defense Exhibition EDEX 2023 which took place in Cairo on 4-7 December, the fourth Frigate, AL-JABBAR, was launched for an expected delivery in October 2025.”
In 2018, the Arab Republic of Egypt commissioned thyssenkrupp Marine Systems to build a total of four identical ships. The first three units - “AL-AZIZ”, “AL-QAHHAR” and “AL-QADEER” - were built in Germany, while the fourth frigate is currently under construction at 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 its class, the MEKO® A-200 EN is one of the most powerful warships in service today. The next-generation vessels are more than 121 metres long, 16 metres wide and have a maximum speed of more than 29 knots. Featuring a stealthy design, the frigates are dedicated to taking on the role of a new central combat platform for the Egyptian Navy.
thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is one of the world’s leading naval companies with almost 7,500 employees and is active as a systems supplier for submarines and naval surface vessels as well as for maritime electronics and security technologies. Around 3,100 people work at the Kiel site, making it the largest shipyard location in Germany. thyssenkrupp Marine Systems offers its customers worldwide tailored solutions to meet the highly complex challenges of a changing world.
