Tunisia unveils 2nd locally-manufactured patrol boat

By Bassem Ben Dahaou

SFAX, Tunisia (AA) - Tunisia unveiled its second locally-manufactured patrol boat on Monday in the eastern port city of Sfax.

The vessel was built by SCIN, a local shipbuilding company, under the supervision of Tunisian army officers and engineers.

According to SCIN general manager Wasim Qawbaa, the patrol boat is 27 meters in length and is capable of travelling at speeds of up to 25 knots per hour.

“The cost of building the ship domestically was 40 percent less than if it had been purchased from a foreign manufacturer,” Qawbaa said.

The Tunisian navy commissioned its first locally-built patrol boat -- dubbed the “Al-Istiklal” (“Independence”) -- in August of 2015.