First of Two French-Made Warships Arrives in Egypt

The first of two French-made warships sold to Egypt after France canceled their sale to Russia arrived off the coast of Alexandria on Thursday, local media reported.

Two local television channels broadcast live footage of the Mistral assault ship as it approached the main port on the northern coast of Egypt.

An audience of senior officers and civilian officials watched from red carpets lining the docks.

The ship, named "Gamal Abdel Nasser", after Egypt's charismatic post-independence president, left the shipyard of Saint-Nazaire on France's Atlantic coast on June 12.

Its sister ship, which will be named after Nasser's successor Anwar al-Sadat, is expected to arrive in September.

The two ships were originally intended for sale to Russia but France canceled the 1.2 billion euro ($1.4 billion) deal over Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Egypt bought the two Mistrals, which Russia had named "Vladivostok" and "Sevastopol", at a reduced price of around 950 million euros ($1.1 billion), with financial help from Saudi Arabia.

The delivery is part of a 5.2 billion euro ($5.6 billion) deal Cairo signed with Paris in February 2015 to purchase 24 Rafale multi-role combat jets, a frigate and missiles.

At 199-meters long, the Mistral is a versatile vessel that can carry out amphibious assaults, act as a hospital ship, command a fleet or act as a helicopter carrier. It has capacity for 16 helicopters, four landing craft, 13 tanks and up to 700 troops.

Egypt also received three Rafale fighters from France in January, the military said, six months after Paris delivered the first three of a consignment of 24 of the warplanes.