Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Tartous, SANA- With high technology and accuracy mixed with modernity and heritage, Khaled Mohamed Hammoud, from Arwad Island in Tartous province, improved a new ship with particular specifications which qualifies it to sail in the sea amid various weather conditions, after it was previously used as a fishing boat.
The shipbuilding industry in Arwad island is a profession that the people there inherited it from their ancestors for thousands of years and developed it remarkably to remain their message and passport from Syria to all the world.
Hammoud told SANA reporter that the 19 meters long and 6 meters wide ship, named Khalid 1, and is made of wood from the eucalyptus tree and it differs from others traditional marine vessels and boats in terms of its external appearance, durability, and the ability to remain stable in the sea without vibration.
Hammoud pointed out that the ship was initially equipped to work outside the territorial waters as a fishing boat, yet now it is equipped to sail and anchor in various ports of the world, and it is suitable for fishing, transporting passengers or shipping, in addition to the possibility of converting it into a tourist yacht.
Hammoud spent seven months building the 70-ton ship which can carry 150 and 200 tons of cargo.
It is noteworthy that in 2008 Hammoud and his brothers built a sailing ship “Phoenicia” with its real specifications and dimensions, which took about eight months to build and docked in about 20 ports during a 26-month journey that set off from Arwad Island, Tartous, to 16 countries, carrying a message of peace and cultural communication among people of the world.
Fedaa al-Rhayiah/Shaza Qriema
