As MEKO Frigates reinforce Egypt’s Navy, the German shipbuilder commemorates the construction. Source: thyssenkrupp

In a ceremony in Bremerhaven, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems delivered the third MEKO A-200 EN frigate, named “Al-Qadeer,” to the Egyptian Navy on December 15, 2023. 

The ceremony, attended by dignitaries from the Egyptian and German Navy, marked the completion of the third out of four MEKO A-200 EN frigates ordered by Egypt.

Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, said: “Just six months after delivering the second frigate, ‘Al-Qahhar,’ we’ve successfully handed over another cutting-edge vessel to the Egyptian Navy. This punctuates the completion of ship construction in Germany, a process completed in record time. The fourth frigate is now in progress at Alexandria Shipyard, showcasing our strong collaboration.”

In April 2019, Germany approved the export of six naval vessels to Egypt as part of a $2.8bn deal. Three of these six vessels are MEKO A-200 frigates, according to GlobalData’s “Egypt Defense Market 2023-2028” report.

The construction timeline for “Al-Qadeer” included the steel cutting commencing in autumn 2020, keel laying in March 2021, launching in April 2022, and naming in October 2022. The frigate is set to embark for Alexandria, Egypt, in the coming days.

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Vice Admiral Ashraf Ibrahim Atwa, commander in chief of the Egyptian Navy, said: “Within only 14 months, the Egyptian Navy received the three MEKO A-200 Frigates Al-Aziz, Al-Qahhar, and Al-Qadeer. These repeated handovers signify the depth of cooperation and friendship between Egypt and Germany.”

According to GlobalData’s intelligence on the global naval vessels and surface combatants market 2023-2033, thyssenkrupp will capture an 18.5% share of the naval vessels and surface combatants market in Africa, with forecast revenue of $1.7bn over 2023–33. thyssenkrupp signed a contract with Egypt and Algeria to supply the Meko A200 frigate to both navies.

The collaboration extends beyond borders, as the fourth frigate, “Al-Jabbar,” was recently unveiled at the Egyptian Defense Exhibition EDEX 2023 in Cairo, with an anticipated delivery in October 2025. In 2018, the Arab Republic of Egypt commissioned thyssenkrupp Marine Systems to construct four identical ships, showcasing a partnership in naval defence.