|
Greek Owners Turn to ABS for New Construction Class Services
Speaking at the bi-annual Posidonia shipping exhibition in Athens, ABS Chairman and CEO Robert D. Somerville expressed his thanks to the Greek shipowning community for the tremendous level of support they have given to ABS during the current shipbuilding boom. “In just the first four months of this year Greece-domiciled owners have placed orders for 59 new vessels to ABS class,” Somerville said.
“This continued support has brought the ABS share of all worldwide orders for new ships by Greek owners to a market leading 30 percent, demonstrating their confidence in the superior service and responsive technical support that we are able to provide here in Greece, in Korea, China, Japan and all the other shipbuilding centers that have attracted orders from the Greek shipping community,” he added.
This level of support exceeds the 22 percent share of the existing Greek-domiciled and controlled fleet currently maintained to ABS class. “Our relationship with Greek shipowners stretches back some 60 years to the time when the U.S. government made a 104 strong fleet of surplus post-World War II Liberty ships available to Greek owners at favorable terms,” Somerville noted. “Those ships helped the nation rebuild its merchant fleet after sustaining devastating losses in support of the Allied cause. And since those vessels were ABS classed, they also formed the foundation of ABS activities here in Greece.”
ABS was the first foreign class society to open a technical and engineering office in Greece to provide more responsive service to its clients. This has been steadily expanded to meet the needs of the rapidly growing Greek-managed fleet and is supplemented by an active survey department, a comprehensive training program offered through a specially built facility and a growing portfolio of related services intended to assist owners to improve their operating efficiencies.
“If the fleets controlled by Greek owners from the other traditional centers of London and New York are included, they jointly represent the largest and single most important share of the existing ABS classed fleet, and of all the tonnage currently on-order to ABS class worldwide,” Somerville noted.
“We have been using the opportunity provided by Posidonia to listen closely to the needs of our owners and will be initiating an active development program, with a particular emphasis on improving the environmental aspects of their operations without increasing net costs or sacrificing operational efficiencies, to meet those needs.”
The ABS Chairman paid tribute to both the business acumen and the maritime professionalism of the Greek maritime community. “Greece is the center of world shipowning activity,” he said. “The modernization of the Greek-controlled fleet that is taking place through the most active newbuilding program ever undertake by Greek shipowners will secure that leading position for many years to come,” he added. “ABS has been proud to serve this market for the last 60 years and we relish the challenges and opportunities of continuing to meet and exceed the needs of future generations of our valued Greek clients.”
Founded in 1862, ABS is a leading international classification society devoted to promoting the security of life, property and the marine environment through the development and verification of standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities.
Date 5th June 2008
Strategic Marine to build eight crew boats "on spec"
Australian shipbuilder Strategic Marine is making the most of the current high demand for offshore vessels in international shipping markets by building eight aluminium crew boats on a speculative basis.
In a move which is expected to boost its revenues by over US$40 million, the company will build six 40m vessels at its Singapore shipyard, and two 52m crew boats at its new Mexican yard at Mazatlan.
Western Australian marine services company Samson Maritime has already ordered two of the new 40m crew boats after signing a contract worth US$9.8 million.
The two utility vessels, which will be delivered in May and June next year, have top speeds in excess of 25kts and will be used by Samson Maritime to service its clients in the resource-rich Pilbara region.
Strategic Marine Director Ron Anderson said the company had decided to build 'on spec' because with four shipyards up and operating worldwide it had the added capacity to meet buoyant global demand from the offshore market.
"Offshore vessels come third in terms of vessels on order globally, behind tankers and cargo ships, making up about 15 per cent of the international shipbuilding industry's business. What's more, crew boat demand far exceeds supply," Mr Anderson said.
"Our Singapore yard has specialised in building crew boats since opening in 2005, having received orders for almost 22 of these types of vessel."
He said the company had developed a great deal of expertise in the course of building a range of crew boats for its customers, while also evolving a series of highly specialised manufacturing process and techniques.
"We have built eight out of nine 40m offshore utilities on order for repeat Malaysian client Syarikat Borcos Shipping, with the seventh vessel being delivered to Borcos seven weeks ahead of schedule, which is very unusual for the industry," he said.
The Singapore yard is also expected to deliver three 22.1m crew boats to Dutch client SMIT International by the end of this year, as well as four 31m crew boats to Indonesia's Baruna Raya Logistics early next year.
The Mexican yard opened earlier this year after winning a US$13.35 million contract to build two 52m aluminum crew boats for Blue Marine's Pemex supply contract in the Gulf of Mexico. Work on the two speculative vessels with the same specifications will get under way early next year.
"We have built up the experience and technical skills to undertake continuous production of standard hull forms for various types of vessels," Mr Anderson said.
"The rationale for this approach is shorter lead times for delivery, standard vessel designs that can be serviced economically, and lower overall costs to the purchaser due to the economies of scale we are able to achieve," he said.
Strategic Marine has received orders for around 130 vessels over the last two-and-a-half years, valued at more than US$250 million.
If, as expected, Strategic signs contracts for the remaining six crew boats it will build, the company's order book is likely to total close to US$300 million.
Date 3rd June 2008
Fugro has placed an order for a cutting-edge Kongsberg Maritime HUGIN 1000
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). To be delivered Q4 2008, the third HUGIN in Fugro's AUV arsenal will be based at the company's Far East facilities in Singapore, in order to address the growing deep water market in the Asia Pacific region.
HUGIN 1000 is a compact version of Kongsberg Maritime's HUGIN 3000, of which Fugro already operates two. Rated for 3000m water depth, HUGIN 1000 can carry an extensive payload of scientific instruments in order to provide high resolution geological and geophysical information, for use in the design of subsea structures and subsequent development of oil and gas fields.
The new compact size HUGIN 1000 will be delivered with a custom designed transportable container and rechargeable, maintenance free Lithium Polymer batteries. The container includes work space for maintenance and an advanced two stage hinged stinger for launch and recovery of the vehicle over the stern of a vessel, with stern height up to 5 meters.
HUGIN is widely recognised as the most advanced and reliable AUV on the market. It was originally developed through collaboration between the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, the Royal Norwegian Navy, Statoil and Kongsberg Maritime. Cooperation began in 1995, and the first HUGIN was put into commercial use in the North Sea in 1997.
"We're delighted that Fugro has ordered its third HUGIN vehicle," said Morten Berntsen, Manager, Sales and Marketing - Underwater Instrumentation, Kongsberg Maritime. "The HUGIN 1000 order book continues to grow following an excellent year in 2007 that saw a number of significant orders taken from the Norwegian and Finnish Navies in addition to being contracted to provide a record six HUGIN 1000s for deployment on a fleet of new vessels for India's National Hydrographic Office."
Date 16th May 2008
|
