Mark Newbold News

Asian shipbuilder Strategic Marine launched the Shanna, the first of two 45-meter ro-pax catamarans to the National Ferries Company of Oman. The vessel is the first of its kind built by Strategic at its Vietnam shipyard, underscoring the operation's multi-markets shipbuilding capability. The sister vessel, the Jawharat, will deliver at the end of November. "The global ferry market is of significant importance to us and we have strong pedigree in building these and similar types of vessels in our other regional yards," said Reece Newbold, Group Business Development Manager.

Ship builder Strategic Marine Pty Ltd has signed a contract with a West Australian marine operations company, Bhagwan Marine, to build a 159 ft landing craft for use in the Australian offshore oil and gas industry. The vessel will be used in Western Australian’s north-west hydrocarbon province and has been designed by International Maritime Consultants, to accommodate for low incline beach landings. The craft’s design features a low angle bow to enable heavy equipment to be driven over the ramp door. With a 42 ft beam, the vessel can accommodate up to ten 20-ft containers with a maximum payload of 400 tonnes. An added advantage is its economical fuel consumption of about 150 litres per hour at 10 knots cruising speed.

Western Australian shipbuilder Strategic Marine officially opened its $16.3m (USD) shipyard in Vietnam on February 24, demonstrating that the company is confident it can ride out the current global economic turmoil. Strategic Marine Chairman Mark Newbold told several hundred dignitaries and guests attending the grand opening that the Vietnamese yard had already won more than $61.8m in orders. Newbold said with three other yards in Australia, Singapore and Mexico, the company was currently constructing 63 fully-financed vessels with an order book value of $164.2m…

Strategic Marine chairman and founder Mark Newbold has won an Ernst & Young Australian Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Mr. Newbold, whose shipbuilding company has its headquarters at Henderson in Western Australia, took out the national Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Products Category at a black tie event on Nov. 27 in Sydney. Mr. Newbold founded Strategic Marine in 2001 with the goal of building a shipbuilding company with manufacturing operations across the world. Seven years later…

Mark Newbold, who qualified for the finals after winning the western region’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the products category, established Strategic Marine in 2001 with the goal of launching a global shipbuilding company. His company now employs around 1,800 staff at its shipyards in , , and , and has signed more than 120 orders worth over US$230 million in the past year alone. “It is personally gratifying to win this award,” said Mr Newbold. “But it is important to realise that the company could not have achieved this in such a short space of time without the whole-hearted support of my fellow-Directors, our senior management, Strategic Marine staff and their families. “I pay tribute to everyone who has contributed to this success,” he said.

Strategic Marine recently won contracts for three aluminum hulled boats from an Indonesian company. Strategic Marine chairman Mark Newbold said he was delighted with the latest signings which will see the company build three additional 31m offshore utility boats for PT Baruna Raya Logistics. Newbold said that Baruna Raya’s craft would be built at the company’s Ba-Ria Vung Tao yard in south Vietnam, with hull deliveries scheduled for October and December 2008 and February 2009. Baruna Raya’s craft will accommodate up to 60 passengers and a crew of eight and feature 67sqm of deck space. The two boats will be powered by three Cummins KTA38 engines generating a combined 3600bhp and capable of reaching a maximum speed of 24kts.

Netherlands-based maritime services company, SMIT has awarded Australian shipbuilder Strategic Marine the contract to build three aluminum hulled boats for use in its Middle East operations. Strategic Marine chairman, Mark Newbold, said the sale of the 22.1m crew/pilot boats re-enforced Strategic Marine’s reputation as a global shipbuilder. “This is a major strategic step forward and builds on the delivery of three 31 metre wellhead maintenance vessels to European client Svitzer,” said Mr Newbold. “The contract is a positive step forward for the development of Strategic Marine’s brand and reputation in Europe and the Arabian Gulf offshore industry where both the Svitzer’s and SMIT’s vessels will operate”. The crew/pilot boats will carry up to 30 passengers and 38sqm open deck space.

Strategic Marine reported that it will open its first shipyard in the Americas in early 2008 following a joint venture bid with Servicios Navales E Industriales S.A. DE C.V. (SENI) to build two 52m aluminum crew boats for Arrendadora Ocean Mexicana S.A. de CV (Blue Marine Offshore) in Mexico. Strategic Marine already operates yards at its Henderson headquarters in Western Australia, Tuas in Singapore and Dong Xuyen Industrial Zone, Ba-Ria Vung Tau in southern Vietnam. The $11.9m contract will see the two vessels operated by Blue Marine Offshore for its Pemex contract in the Gulf of Mexico. Work on the contract is scheduled to commence this year, before which Strategic will work with SENI to upgrade its existing maintenance facility at Mazatlan on the Mexican west coast.