Japan will provide Egypt with a grant worth EGP 1 billion (USD 22 million) to finance the construction and delivery of a first-of-its-kind Dive Support Vessel (DSV) for the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).

The funding will be extended through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under an executive agreement signed on Sunday.

The project is intended to enhance navigational safety, improve rapid-response capabilities during maritime incidents and support the sustainable operation of the Suez Canal.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, and SCA Chairman Osama Rabie.

The document was formally executed by Ahmed El-Barbary, Director of the SCA Shipyards Department, and Yamamoto Atsushi, Senior Representative of the JICA Egypt Office, with Japan’s Economic Minister at the Embassy in Cairo, Yusuke Suzuki, also attending the ceremony.

According to official information, the new DSV will be capable of performing a wide range of operations, including towing, assisting vessels during manoeuvring and responding to maritime emergencies. It will also support diving, search and recovery missions, strengthening the SCA’s overall marine rescue capacity.

Al-Mashat said the agreement shows the strong cooperation between Egypt and Japan and follows President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s direction to benefit from Japanese technology and development expertise.

She pointed out that the Suez Canal handles about 12% of global trade and remains an important contributor to Egypt’s economy.

Al-Mashat added that regional tensions since October 2023 had reduced traffic through the canal, but said activity later recovered.

According to her, the canal recorded growth of 8.6% in the first quarter of the current fiscal year after a peace agreement sponsored by President al-Sisi and a gradual return of stability in the Red Sea.

Rabie said the new DSV would be a major addition to the SCA fleet and would strengthen its diving, rescue and emergency response operations. He added that the authority plans to further expand its rescue capabilities next year by adding two new rescue tugs, each with a bollard pull of 190 tonnes.

From the Japanese side, Suzuki said the project represents a mutually beneficial initiative and opens a new chapter in the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Atsushi said that cooperation between JICA and the Suez Canal Authority spans nearly 70 years and said the new vessel would help reinforce the canal’s role as a critical global maritime corridor.

Technical details released by the SCA show that the 45-metre vessel will be built entirely in Japan in accordance with Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requirements and under the supervision of the Japanese classification society, NK.

The vessel will have a beam of 10 metres, a draught of 4.5 metres and a displacement of 620 tonnes.

The DSV will be powered by a dual-fuel engine operating on diesel and natural gas to help reduce carbon emissions. It will have a maximum speed of 12 knots and accommodation for up to 29 personnel.

The vessel will also be equipped with two decompression chambers to support diving and rescue operations, as well as a waste treatment unit.

The executive agreement follows an exchange of letters related to the grant that was signed in August between Al-Mashat and the Japanese Ambassador to Egypt.

References: dailynewsegypt, egyptindependent