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UPGRADES
By the end of December, all equipment required to expand services at the Mitrena Shipyard in Setubal, will have been transferred. The centralization of repair and conversion activities at the Setubal yard is being designated “Mitrena 2000.” Part of this re-organization is a new three-dock hydrolift system at Mitrena that will take ships up to panamax size. This is the first time this Portuguese-designed docking system has actually been used.
This year also saw a change in ownership of Lisnave, Jose Rodrigues and Nelson Rodrigues (not related) purchasing the 69% shareholding of the company previously held by the Mello Group.
Designed and delivered by Syncrolift Inc., it will be able to accommodate large catamaran-type fast ships and other similar 32m-long craft. The new system will have a platform length of 90m and a lifting capacity of 4,500 tonnes. A maximum load of 50 tonnes per linear meter along the central longitudinal axis of the platform can also be achieved. The platform is supported by 14 lifting stations equipped with electro-mechanic winches.
This FFr58m investment is the direct result of a project co-ordinated by the Cherbourg Cotentin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, following studies showing the emergence of a market for the maintenance of these new types of ship. The study also highlighted the existence of specialized skilled workers in regional companies on the high-tech field with around 30 companies able to utilize the elevator for all specialities including hull maintenance work (frequently using light alloys), electronic maintenance of integrated pilotage or monitoring systems, maintenance of propulsion (i.e. gas turbines), and preventive maintenance procedures and assistance in diagnostic reporting.
The U.K.’s A&P Group has recently announced that plans to take over ship repair facilities in Le Havre, northern France, will hopefully be completed by the end of this year. If successful, A&P will take over ship repair facilities currently operated by Siren, which will include exclusive rights to operate Drydock No.7, a panamax facility, plus the floating suezmax dock on the basis of an open-ended lease.
In Holland, Metz Shipyard, which is a member of the Conoship International group of shipyards, is to acquire a 94 m x 15 m dry dock facility in the near future.
The U.K.’s Milford Haven Port Authority, meantime, is planning to install a new drydocking facility within the Welsh port. It is understood that the MHPA will demolish a huge former National Power building structure on port-owned land, and then carry out surveys and inspections into whether to convert the plant’s turbine hall into a new 300 m x 32 m enclosed dock, and create ship repair facilities. Arab Heavy Industries, which is jointly owned by the Ajman government, Al-Futtaim Group, Singapore’s Keppel Group and other smaller investors, has recently (October) enhanced its facilities and services with the completion of a new 30,000 dwt capacity graving dock. The recently constructed Al Zora Dry Dock measures 175m x 32m. A new 250 m-long repair quay has been built adjacent to the new dock. The new facility has a load-out capacity of up to 5,000 tonnes, and is serviced by a 6.5 tonnes capacity crane. Also in the Middle East, Dubai Ship Docking Yard is currently expanding its Syncrolift facilities in Al Jadaf, with the installation of a new 1,000 ton lift, which is scheduled to be operational by the end of next year. The company is also constructing an air-conditioned covered berth, specially designed for working with luxury yachts. ML |
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With the future of the ship repair and conversion industry looking bright, a number of shipyards are also looking to purchase or upgrade existing facilities to improve their attraction as a preferred location for work.