Cairo  - Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak and Saudi king Abdullah Friday launched two ferries that Saudi Arabia donated to Egypt.

Donation of the vessels, "Cairo" and "Riyadh", came two years after the Egyptian-owned ferry "Salam 98" caught fire and sank in the Red Sea, killing around 1,000 people and stirring angry debate in Egypt over lax safety controls.

Both leaders attended a ceremony in the Red Sea port of Jeddah to pass the ownership of the ferries to the Egyptian government. The two ferries will run between Dhuba in Saudi Arabia and Safaga in Egypt.

Each ferry is 88 metres high and 24 metres wide and can carry up to 1,220 passengers, plus 200 small vehicles.

Mubarak's visit came after two Egyptian doctors were sentenced to whippings and jail time in Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi court in October sentenced Egyptian doctors Rauof Amin and Shawki Abd Rabuh to 15 years in prison and 1,500 lashes each.

Amin was accused of causing the wife of a Saudi prince to get addicted to morphine during two years of medical treatment, while Abd Rabuh was convicted of illegally dealing in drugs and of having illicit affairs with female patients.

The sentencing has drawn angry reaction from Egypt's human rights groups and media, who have accused the Saudi authorities of unfairly treating Egyptians working there.

Egyptians were hoping Mubarak would seek a royal pardon for them during his visit to the kingdom. (dpa)