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Excerpt from report by Sinisa Lukovic entitled
"Maras selling submarines to Egypt" published by the Montenegrin
newspaper Vijesti on 24 February 2006
Tivat:
Besides buying five Osa I missile boats and several Rubez anti-ship coastal defence missile systems that were previously declared military surplus, the Egyptian Defence Ministry has shown great interest in plans to add non-operational Serbia-Montenegro Navy submarines to
its fleet list.
Vijesti has learned that the Egyptians are prepared to purchase three big diesel-electric submarines - P-821 Heroj, P-831 Sava and P-832 Drava - and they have also shown interest in three small Una P-911 so-called midget submarines and several more Rubez launchers that belong to the 180th coastal defence brigade of the Serbia-Montenegro Navy based at the Milan Spasic barracks in Radovici near Tivat [Montenegrin coastal town]. According to previous estimates, the submarines are worth about 20m euros.
This was one of the topics discussed by Serbia-Montenegro Deputy Defence Minister Vukasin Maras and Egyptian Minister of Defence and War Production Field Marshal Muhammad Husayn
Tantawi during Maras' official visit to Cairo last week. They were discussing "ways to advance the bilateral military and military-economiccooperation".
[Passage omitted: A source close to Maras says that the negotiations with Egypt are progressing well]
One of the key requirements before the Serbia-Montenegro Navy submarines, which are not operational at present, can be sold to the Egyptians, is that they be overhauled and made combat ready, i.e. that they be made ready for combat operations.
The only facility along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea capable of this extremely complex job is the Sava Kovacevic naval maintenance facility, also known as Arsenal in Tivat. For 80 years it has been overhauling and repairing submarines.
However, it remains to be seen whether the submarine deal will be forged because the Montenegrin government intends to sell Arsenal to Canadian businessman Peter Munk, who plans to turn the military shipyard into a marina for big yachts. In his offer to purchase Arsenal that has been delivered to the government, Munk gives the shipyard only nine months to complete all current jobs and remove all foreign and national warships from the facility.
During that period it might be possible to complete only the overhaul of the 831 Heroj submarine that is already 90per cent complete. This submarine has been standing on the Arsenal synchro-elevator platform for years.
Another possible problem is the fact that all of the submarines need to have their old, expired
batteries replaced and the new ones need to be ordered and produced by a company in Mrezice, Slovenia.
At present Arsenal is overhauling five Osa I missile boats that are to be delivered to Egypt and the Egyptian Navy has already on two occasions sent its transport ships to deliver from Tivat to Alexandria several Rubez missile systems that have been bought and overhauled in
Serbia-Montenegro, but also spare parts and other military equipment.
Source: BBC Monitoring / Vijesti, Podgorica
http://www.csees.net/?page=news&news_id=50206&country_id=8
* In other reports One was sold to Egypt for 10 million euros
So Egypt Has a secret submarine..that no one knows about!
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