Al-Shorfa / Construction navale / #Egypt Alexandrie : les constructeurs navals luttent pour survivre *************** By Waleed Abu al-Khair Visit Egypts coastal city of Alexandria you will no doubt pass through al-Anfoushi district near the fishermens port on your way to historic Qaitbay citadel. The sight of fishermen and their nets may be commonplace in the district, but al-Anfoushis distinguishing feature -- the workshops that specialise in the repair of fishermens boats and large yachts -- no longer dominates due to the many technological advances taking place in the boat and shipbuilding industry. Cairo University history professor Mohammed Arafa said the relationship between Alexandria and the shipbuilding industry has long been close. The fact that this city lies directly on the sea made it only natural that its residents would engage in sea-related occupations, such as commerce, shipping, and shipbuilding and repair, he told Al-Shorfa. The latter, however, in its modern form, has been associated with Alexandria since the era of Mohammed Ali Pasha, who ruled Egypt between 1805 and 1848. Mohammed Ali Pasha established a naval base in the city and ordered the construction of the Alexandria shipyard in order to build a large war fleet. He also encouraged and took interest in the building of civilian ships, to such an extent that Egypt stopped importing boats and ships from abroad altogether, Arafa said. Some families in Alexandria, such as the al-Dugaishi, al-Jazairi and Ragab families, took up the craft during that era and continue to this day, Arafa said, adding that the availability of wood such as mulberry and acacia helped expand the profession. A MAJOR DECLINE About a decade ago, boatbuilding in Alexandria began to experience a major decline in favour of large factories which employ modern industrial technologies and operate at lower costs than do the workshops for handcrafted boats, said boatbuilding workshop owner Mansour Qobtan. A small boat costs around 100,000 Egyptian pounds ($14,000) to build and a large one -- such as one that extends 40 metres and contains many rooms -- costs as much as 25 million pounds ($3.5 million), he said. Big boats, particularly tourist yachts, require approximately two years to be built in full, he told Al-Shorfa. Qobtan said his profession is tied to many others, as it requires other craftsmen to build the hull, assemble the boat, install insulation and paint the vessel. Sometimes a large boat requires the work of 30 people to finish the job, each according to his specialty, he added. Large boats also require modern instruments, such as wireless communication, radar and depth gauge equipment, he said: Thus, this craft is a gateway to stimulating the economy in general, and if it stops, hundreds of workers and specialists will stop as well, and if it prospers, their work prospers too. Dozens of shipbuilding workshops have closed their doors in recent years, and only a few remain, he said. Boatbuilding and repair is a traditional craft, not just a profession for the people of Alexandria, whose craftsmen have long been renowned in their field, so much so that the majority of Egypts craftsmen in other cities and in other Middle Eastern countries learned the craft in Alexandria, he said. Many warships and commercial ships that arrive at the port of Alexandria seek the services of these workshops to perform repairs as they dock, Qobtan added. Conditions are not what they used to be, said Mahmoud Mohi, who owns a workshop for repairing large tourist yachts. The security situation that has continued for three years has caused the owners of the large tourist boats to flee and have their boats repaired in other countries. In addition, the new generation is turning to other professions, he said. Before 2011, the port was teeming with the boats and yachts of customers who preferred to have their boats repaired by Egyptian craftsmen because they use traditional methods in their work, he said. As for now, he said, the work is at a semi-standstill, and there are no customers other than some fishermen who have to repair their small fishing boats.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 04:36:20 +0000
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