Adm. Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, held a meeting today with a high-profile delegation from UW Group of Cyprus, accredited agent of numerous international shipping companies for maintenance and repair services, to discuss ways of future cooperation to increase the competitiveness of Port Said Shipyard and turn it into a world-class shipyard specialized in shipbuilding as well as the provision of maintenance and repair services. The meeting was held at the SCA's headquarters Al-Irshad building in Ismailia.
The delegation consisted of Mr. Vassilios Demetriades, the Group's Chief Strategy Officer, and Mr. Vangelis Tsangarides, the Group's COO. The meeting was also attended by Eng. Ahmed El-Barbary, SCA's Director of the Shipyards Dept. and Eng. Magdy Abdelfattah El-Sharkawy, CEO of M&Y Marine Services - the company tasked with marketing Port Said Shipyard's external repairs system.
During the visit, both parties discussed the possibility of holding a partnership to develop Port Said Shipyard and inject investments to transform it into a world-class shipyard specialized in shipbuilding, providing maintenance and repair services as well as scrapping.
At the outset of the meeting, Adm. Rabiee stressed that the SCA is moving steadily towards the execution of its ambitious strategy to diversify its income streams through taking serious steps towards maximizing the benefit from its assets and upgrading its maritime and logistical services provided to clients as a part of its striving towards transformation into a global hub providing marine units building services as well as maintenance, repair and providing spares parts.
Adm. Rabiee expressed his aspiration to explore new horizons of cooperation with partners in success and major companies in the field of ship maintenance and repair, as well as benefiting from the fruits of this cooperation; including transfer of advanced technology, exchange of expertise and personnel training in addition to increasing the competitiveness of the SCA's shipyards so they become the ideal destination globally for the provision of services of the highest quality and at reasonable costs.
The Chairman of the Authority pointed out that the Suez Canal Authority is focused on developing Port Said Shipyard and transforming it into a global destination for the building of ships and various maritime units, as well as providing maintenance and repair services using the latest global technology. This is achieved by entering into partnerships and injecting more investments to add new activities and services that were previously unavailable, such as container repair and maintenance, and green scrapping services utilizing state-of-the-art systems.
On his part, Mr. Vassilios Demetriades, the Group’s Chief Strategy Officer, emphasized that the future holds promising opportunities for developing Port Said Shipyard to become the optimal destination for providing maintenance and repair services using an advanced and environmentally friendly concept that keeps pace with the rapid developments in the maritime transport industry.
The Group’s Chief Strategy Officer highlighted the Shipyard's numerous advantages, including its strategic geographical location and its material and human capabilities, making it the prime global destination for providing maintenance and repair services in the Mediterranean area.
Mr. Vangelis Tsangarides, the Group’s Chief Operating Officer, then outlined the general objectives of future cooperation with the Suez Canal to develop Port Said Shipyard by enhancing the use of automation in various operations, improving human resource efficiency, and adhering to environmental standards and sustainability concepts, in line with the principles of the Blue Economy and the Suez Canal's Green Transformation Strategy.
Eng. Magdy Abdelfattah El-Sharkawy, CEO of M&Y Marine Services, praised the serious steps taken by the Suez Canal Authority to develop the external repairs system at Port Said Shipyard. These steps have resulted in attracting numerous repair operations from major shipping lines, enhancing the efficiency of human resources, and adopting marketing policies that meet market requirements and customer needs.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to study the partnership proposal and hold further meetings to discuss all technical and economic aspects.
It is worth noting that the Cyprus-based UW Group was founded in 2000. The Company specializes in the field of agency in maintenance and repair activities and works with several major shipping companies. It handles 240 repair operations annually, and its client list has grown to include 300 clients worldwide.