Ethiopia ordered building of tugs in the Netherlands according to the Dutch newspaper De Tijd dated 29 October 1953

An item reported that Ethiopia could chose of 18 tenders and finally gave the order for two large and two smaller tugs to a Dutch combination of shipyards despite the building costs were not the lowest. The newspaper Nieuwsblad van het Noorden dated 25 November reported that Abyssinia ordered the building of four tugs (2-350 hp and 2-600hp) by the Industriële Handelscombinatie Holland at The Hague. The tugs were to service in the harbours of Massaoea and Assab. The newspaper Het vrije volk dated 23 October 1954 reported that the Ethiopian emperor would visit [on 4 November] the shipyard of L. Smit&Zoon at Kinderdijk to launch there one of the four tugs ordered by Ethiopia. The newspaper Leeuwarder courant dated the 5th reported his visit on Thursday morning. Two of the four ships were already delivered. He launched the tug Shegnew. This was for her the second time to be launched now from a repair slip for this happening. She had already performed her trial. During the visit of the emperor were men working at two other tugs called Tatek and Metchal while the fourth called Auraris was lying ready in a small harbour waiting for her departure on short notice. She was the first to depart and manned with Dutch sailors she would go under her own power. At Ethiopia she was to be manned by Ethiopian sailors except for the engineer who would be temporarily still Dutch.