Egypt is a country with long coastlines along the Mediterranean in the north and the Red Sea in the east. It is also home to the Nile, one of the world’s mightiest rivers. This means that fish farming has great potential. Developing this industry could lower the price of fish and seafood on the Egyptian market, with its more than 90 million people, as well as open up potential export markets to generate hard currency.
In view of these facts, the Egyptian government has launched an ambitious initiative to increase the fish resources of the country. As a start, the General Authority for Fish Resources Development (GAFRD) launched two pilot projects for fish farms in the Kafr el Sheikh Governorate of the Nile Delta. The new fish farms will produce yearly 640 tons of shrimp and 350 tons of various types of fish.
Pumps make up an essential component of any fish farm, both for supplying the system with new water and for dealing with wastewater. For the pilot projects, GAFRD was looking for a truly high-quality solution, with equipment made in Europe. In tough competition, Allweiler-Farid Pumps won the contract to provide 32 pump units, each powered by an ABB M3BP 355 low voltage motor.
“ABB could offer advantages beyond a high quality,” says Amr Abdelkader, local business unit manager for ABB Motors and Generators. “Just like Allweiler, we have a strong local presence in Egypt. We give a long-time warranty, and our own and Allweiler’s local service staff will make sure that the units run smoothly.”
Another key factor was the ability of ABB’s factory to deliver the motors with very short lead times. Quick delivery was a prerequisite for getting the order.
“These are no standard motors,” Amr Abdelkader says. “They are quite big, weighing four tons, and need to be manufactured upon order. But the factory showed great flexibility and we managed to manufacture the first 16 motors in five weeks and then ship them to Egypt in another 17 days, where Allweiler tested them to satisfaction in their local facilities.”
Allweiler and ABB supplied pump units for three main stations. These include five units for a station with brackish water, 12 units for a seawater station and 15 for a waste station. The Allweiler propeller-type pumps have the capacity to pump 6,000 cubic meters per hour and a total dynamic head (TDH) ranging from six to nine meters. The capacity of the ABB motors running the pumps ranges from 160 to 220 kW.
“Working with ABB was beautiful. They supported and helped us in smoothly accomplishing this project. This was the first fish farm to be applied in Egypt, and its successful completion is providing Allweiler-Farid Pumps with a great opportunity to win the bid for the second and third projects coming up soon. In that case we will definitely work with ABB again,” says Hossam Farid, vice chairman and CEO of Allweiler-Farid Pumps.
Hossam Farid, vice chairman and CEO of Allweiler-Farid Pumps, says the ABB team’s commitment and technical know-how overcame the challenge of a speedy delivery. “Working with ABB was beautiful,” he says. “They supported and helped us in smoothly accomplishing this project. This is the first fish farm to be applied in Egypt, and its successful completion is providing Allweiler-Farid Pumps with a great opportunity to win the bid for the second and third projects coming up soon. In that case we will definitely work with ABB again.”
Amr Abdelkader says ABB is well known in Egypt’s motor segment, but delivering equipment for fish farms was a new experience. “Since everything seems to be working fine in the pilot project so far, we have good hope for more orders as the Egyptian government’s fish farming scheme evolves further,” he says.
Motors and Generators deliveries: 32 low voltage Process performance M3BP 355 motors: five with a capacity of 220 kW, 15 with 190 kW and 12 with 160 kW.
Keys to success: high-quality products, local presence and support, flexibility in production and delivery, warranty
