Maintenance and repair for Fugro Mercator at Damen Shiprepair Harlingen
Damen Shiprepair Harlingen (DSHL) has completed maintenance and repair works on the Fugro Mercator, a twin-hulled survey vessel operated by Fugro.
Fugro Mercator is a 42.35-metre survey vessel deployed in some of the most challenging locations by Fugro for bathymetric and geophysical surveys, cable and pipeline route surveys. The vessel’s visit to DSHL was a scheduled docking for maintenance and repair works.
The yard’s planned work sheet included overhauling most of the vessel’s equipment as well as upgrading its accommodation areas. This consisted of work on the main and auxiliary engines, thrusters and winches, and refitting the kitchen and dining areas.
During the docking it was decided to upgrade the hull in order to extend the life of the vessel for the time to come. The motivation for this decision was based on the fact that the Fugro Mercator is considered a ‘one- off’ vessel in meeting the needs of the near shore geophysical industry.
“Due to the extensive scope of the project, triggered by the modifications to the hull, a new delivery date of the vessel to the owner was agreed to both Damen and Fugro’s satisfaction,” states Arjan Sebel, Project Manager at DSHL. “But due to the excellent cooperation with Fugro and the commitment of the yard personnel, the works were completed within the newly agreed timeframe.”
“DSHL has proven to be a flexible and trustworthy partner. Their ability to incorporate the hull upgrade in a timely manner resulted in a successful project,” states Chris de Bruin, Vessel Superintendent at Fugro.
After working on several Fugro vessels over the years, DSC has established a strong relationship with them. “In terms of safety and working procedures, in particular, we know each other’s standards. This makes for a smoother docking period, allowing all involved to focus 100 per cent on the job at hand,” Mr Sebel concludes.
Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 35 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.
Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.
Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.
For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.
Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating and (covered) drydocks, the largest of which is 420 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.
