ISIS Attacks Egyptian Coast Guard Swift Boat

In the early morning hours of July 16, 2015, unknown assailants attacked an Egyptian Coast Guard vessel while it was moored at a buoy close to shore on the Mediterranean Sea near the Sinai Peninsula. The attacked vessel was a 25 meter Fast Patrol Boat equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and communications systems manufactured by Swiftships, LLC, of Morgan City, Louisiana, in 2005.

Swiftships CEO, Shehraze Shah, expressed his solidarity with the Government of Egypt, especially with the Egyptian Navy and Border Guard in dealing with the criminal elements responsible for the attack. Mr. Shah also said that the company's President, Jeff Leleux, is currently in Egypt assisting the navy on a new program. Mr. Shah stated, "We have a long-standing strategic relationship with the Egyptian Navy and Border Guard and wholeheartedly stand ready to assist in any way possible."

The attacked patrol boat is one of several Swiftships vessels currently in use by the Egyptian military. Swiftships' Fast Patrol Boats were constructed under strict American Bureau of Shipping and U.S. Navy standards and are capable of withstanding highly explosive attacks. The local branch of the Islamic State in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula claimed the attack on July 15 and claimed that it had destroyed an Egyptian frigate with a missile and killed everyone on board. The Egyptian military confirmed there was an attack on a coastguard vessel, but said that no one was hurt.

The Egyptian military operates several Swiftships class vessels of various lengths and mission requirements. Additional vessels are currently being constructed in Egypt under a Coproduction Licensing Agreement between Swiftships and the Egyptian government. The coproduction program allows the Egyptian Navy to strengthen their maritime defense forces by manufacture Swiftships vessels in country and utilizing local workforce.