Albwardy Damen expands ship repair services to SOHAR Port and Freezone
Albwardy Damen, a joint venture providing shipbuilding and ship repair services to the marine and oil and gas related industries in the Middle East, has announced that it has launched a full range of afloat, workshop, and diving services at SOHAR Port and Freezone.
The new SOHAR operations represents the fourth location of operations in the Middle East, adding to Albwardy Damen’s Afloat Repairs Division comprehensive workshop facilities in Dubai, Sharjah, and Fujairah.
Willem Moelker, Sales and Marketing Director, comments, “Our strategic expansion into SOHAR has been driven by demand from customers and other stakeholders. Albwardy DAMEN is the first ship repair company to have a presence in Oman’s rapidly growing logistics hub.
“We are grateful to SOHAR Port and Freezone for their unwavering support and cooperation, without which this new base of operations wouldn’t have been made possible. Albwardy DAMEN is keen to support the continued success of SOHAR Port and Freezone as the ‘Gateway to the Gulf’.”
Albwardy Damen’s repair portfolio includes hull and deck steel repairs including pipework, hydro-blasting and painting works, as well as mechanical works such as engine overhaul, hydraulic and electrical works. Certified Riding squads are also available to meet customer requirements on board vessels.
“By establishing this new venture, vessels in SOHAR which require repairs and maintenance will be able to get on their way as soon as possible. Our engineers can be on board within hours, reducing mobilisation and repair times dramatically,” added Mr Moelker.
Additionally, vessels calling into Sohar can benefit from the nearby Albwardy DAMEN Diving, which has been serving the marine industry since 1995. The diving hub is located in Fujairah Port but the diving teams are able to serve regional ports and anchorages. The dive teams can also carry out a full range of diving services in African ports.
Albwardy Damen
Albwardy DAMEN is a joint venture between Albwardy Investment, Dubai and the Damen Shipyards Group, the Netherlands. Both family-owned companies with a long history.
The company has a total workforce of around 1300 people of 26 different nationalities in its UAE locations and 15% of its staff have been with the company over 15 years.
With all key competences in-house, including an extensive engineering division, Albwardy DAMEN repairs and builds vessels to the highest technical and environmental standards. It is certified by LRQA to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 as well as API Q1.
Services include the newbuilding of steel and aluminium vessels and repair and services of marine, as well as O&G assets. The company also offers offshore and afloat repair services to clients worldwide. The diving division offers its services out of Fujairah, including underwater hull cleaning.
About SOHAR Port and Freezone
SOHAR Port and Freezone is a deep sea port and free zone in the Middle East, situated in the Sultanate of Oman midway between Dubai and Muscat. With current investments of US$26 billion, it is one of the world's fastest growing port and free zone developments and lies at the centre of global trade routes between Europe and Asia.
SOHAR provides unequalled access to the fast diversifying economies of the Gulf and Iran, while avoiding the additional costs of passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The existing road network and airport and the future rail system provide direct connectivity to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as well as to the rest of the world.
Equipped with deep-water jetties capable of handling the world’s largest ships, SOHAR has leading global partners that operate its container, dry bulk, liquid and gas terminals including Hutchison, C. Steinweg, Oiltanking, and Svitzer. SOHAR Port and Freezone is managed by Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC), a joint venture between Port of Rotterdam and the Sultanate of Oman.
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.
