Qatar shipyard lays keels for two tugs

JANUARY 8, 2014 — Qatar shipbuilder Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ) has laid the keels for two 16 m-long Stan Tugs that are among seven vessels on order at the yard for Nakilat SvitzerWijsmuller (NSW).

A small ceremony to mark the occasion was held at NDSQ’s facilities at Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard in Qatar’s Port of Ras Laffan.

The two twin-screw Stan Tugs have a bollard pull of 15 tons and will be used for mooring vessels visiting the Port of Ras Laffan. The other five  vessels on order for NSW are two 28 m-long azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs, two 31m ASD tugs and one 22-long glass reinforced plastic (GRP) pilot boat. The Stan Tugs, the ASD tugs and the pilot boat will be delivered to NSW for use at Ras Laffan.

“This milestone further confirms the solid contribution that NDSQ’s shipbuilding operations are making towards the State of Qatar’s industrial sector,” said Abdullah Fadhalah Al Sulaiti, Managing Director of Nakilat and Chairman of NDSQ and NSW

Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ) is a joint venture between Nakilat and Dutch shipbuilder Damen that began operations in 2010 and builds ships in steel, aluminum and fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), up to 170 m in length.

Nakilat SvitzerWijsmuller (NSW) is owned 70 per cent by Nakilat and 30 per cent by Svitzer Middle East Ltd.

Nakilat is a Qatari marine company providing the essential transportation link in the State of Qatar’s LNG supply chain. Its LNG shipping fleet is the largest in the world, comprising 56 LNG vessels. Nakilat also manages and operates four LPG carriers. Via two strategic joint ventures, Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM) and NDSQ, Nakilat operates the ship repair and construction facilities at Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard.