Nmdc News

Climate change, rising sea levels, land reclamation and offshore energy are all factors underpinning business models at Europe’s dredge and marine engineering majors. They are adopting strong sustainability credentials as their operations come under closer environmental, social, governance (ESG) scrutiny and new opportunities open up in the US offshore wind sectorThe relatively small number of global marine engineering and dredge firms face more observation of their business models than ever before.

Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC launched a new trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) for the United Arab Emirates' National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC) during a ceremony at IHC’s shipyard in Kinderdijk, The Netherlands.The TSHD Ghasha is based on the 6,000-cubic-meter TSHD Arzana, delivered by IHC in 2018.According to IHC, the new TSHD has a number of innovations, including an enlarged hopper capacity of 8,000 cubic meters and a larger dredging depth of 45 meters. The tailor-made design…

Netherlands-based Royal IHC recently signed a contract with National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC, based in Abu Dhabi, UAE) to build yet another trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD).The supplier of innovative and efficient equipment, vessels and services for the offshore, dredging and wet mining markets said in a press release that the new vessel builds on the excellent partnership & collaboration between the two companies and on the success of the 6,000m³ TSHD ARZANA, which was delivered by IHC in 2018.In addition, IHC will deliver the first TSHD simulator to the Middle East, further allowing NMDC to develop & strengthen its excellent…

State-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has awarded a contract worth Dh5 billion (USD1.36bln) to a UAE-based company for dredging, land reclamation and marine construction for artificial islands being developed as part of its offshore ultra sour Ghasha concession.The contract awarded to the UAE’s National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC) is valued at AED 5 billion (US 1.36 billion) and will achieve substantial In-Country Value of over 70 percent. The Ghasha Concession consists of the Hail, Ghasha, Dalma, Nasr and Mubarraz offshore sour gas fields.Under the terms of the contract, NMDC will construct 10 new artificial islands and two causeways…

Wärtsilä supplied the full propulsion package for National Marine Dredging Company's (NMDC) new, state-of-the-art Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) launched in September. The 6,000 m3 capacity TSHD was designed by the IHC shipyard in the Netherlands in close cooperation with NMDC. The customized solution combines a shallow draft and a deep dredging depth with high manoeuvrability. The vessel has been specially designed to operate in high ambient temperatures, and the Wärtsilä machinery is capable of operating efficiently in such conditions. The scope of Wärtsilä’s supply, which comprises two eight-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 engines specially tuned for dredging operations, two controllable pitch propeller systems and two tunnel thrusters, provides the required power and manoeuvrability.

After 10 years and more than 100,000 operating hours dredging up silt, sand, rocks and stones in some of the toughest marine environments imaginable, the Thordon Composite bearing installed on the Al Mirfa’s dredge cutter head shaft has emerged unscathed. In drydock where the NMDC-owned dredger is being upgraded, Thordon Bearings’ Dubai-based distributor, Ocean Power International, expected that even the ‘unbreakable’ might need replacing after such demanding workloads, but it didn’t.

Abu Dhabi's National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC)  has been awarded a $316-million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a hitech floating LNG (liquefied natural gas) port at Jafrabad in the Indian state of Gujarat, reports WAM. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has reviewed the plan by NMDC to develop the terminal. Mohamed Thani Murshed Al Rumaithi, chairman of NMDC, said the total cost of the project is expected to reach $316 million. Mohamed Thani  gave a brief overview of the project, which will be built as per the best international standards of maritime engineering. He said that the terminal will be completed in 2019, and will be designed and built in partnership with Indian company Swan Energy.

Post the taking over of Vishakhapatnam Port Trust’s (VPT's) Iron Ore Handling Complex (OHC) on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis for a period of 30 years in May’ 15, Essar Vizag Terminals Limited (EVTL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Essar Ports Limited (EPL) has boosted the EPL’s strategy of diversifying its customer profile. Through addition of this facility EPL has seen its third party cargo share jump to more than 8% in FY 16 alone with the likes of JSW, NMDC/ MMTC etc. Once upgraded the mechanized system will be able to reach a capacity of 8000TPH, which will be one of the highest cargo-handling rate in Indian Major Ports. During QI FY 17…

National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC) of Abu Dhabi, a dredging contractor in the Middle East and key player in the creation of the new Suez Canal, has granted Royal IHC an order to upgrade the automation of three heavy-duty cutter suction dredgers (CSDs). The Al Sadr, Al Mirfa and Kattouf were built by Royal IHC between 1999-2001, and were equipped with the then latest versions of IHC DPM (dredge profile monitor) and ACC (automatic cutter controller). Royal IHC has continued to develop these presentation and automation tools…

On the back of increased production by its anchor customers, Essar Ports Limited (EPL) has registered significant growth in cargo handling over the last three months. In March 2016 alone, EPL’s four operational ports handled total cargoes of 6.25 million tonnes (MMT), which translates to a run rate of 75 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). With the recent commissioning of the 20 MMT Salaya Bulk Terminal, cargo handling will see a further boost in FY2017. The contribution of third-party traffic to overall cargo handling stands at about 10% currently. About 90% of the cargo handled at EPL’s Hazira, Vadinar, Vizag and Paradip ports is contracted with captive businesses, like Essar Steel India Ltd, Essar Oil Ltd and Essar Power Ltd.

Royal IHC (IHC) and National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC) have signed a contract for the construction of the first custom-build state-of-the-art trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) in the Gulf area. The contract was signed at NMDC’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 9 March 2016 by Mr Eng. Yasser Zaghloul, CEO NMDC and Mr Bram Roelse, CEO IHC. The TSHD will have a capacity of 6,000m3 and will form a part of NMDC’s international growth and fleet investment strategy, which is aimed at positioning the company as a leader in the industry. “We are proud to contribute to NMDC’s growth strategy and value the long-term relationship with our customer,” says Bram Roelse. The design is the result of close cooperation between IHC and NMDC.

Press release - Indian miner Vedanta's iron ore chief on Friday called for a cut in federal and state levies on exports of low-grade ore mined in Goa, as the company struggles to remain competitive amid a global commodities slump. The country's biggest private miner resumed mining in Goa, India's top-producing state, in August after a ban on illegal extraction shuttered operations for three years. Vedanta, a unit of metals tycoon Anil Agarwal's Vedanta Resources, hopes to export more than 5.5 million tonnes of iron ore from Goa in the financial year to March 2016. It recently shipped 88,000 tonnes, bought at state auctions, to its biggest customer China.

UAE dredging and marine construction firm National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC) has announced the completion of the New Suez Canal project. The $8bn (£5bn) project had been projected to take three years but on the orders of the president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the former military chief who led the overthrow of an elected Islamist government in 2013, was completed after one year. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and chairman of the UAE-backed Coordination Office of Development Projects in Egypt, said that a new Suez Canal channel would cement Egypt’s role as a keystone in the world economy. “We are proud that the UAE National Marine Dredging Company was heavily involved in this project…

National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC), the UAE's leading dredging and marine construction company, has announced the completion of the New Suez Canal project following its successful trial run on Saturday (July 25). A total of six container ships from around the world navigated the canal as part of the trial run toward ensuring its readiness for full-fledged operations. Three ships navigated the canal from Suez in the south and moved to the north, while three ships sailed from Port Said in the north toward the Mediterranean Sea in the south. The trial run is an important step in achieving the objectives of the massive expansion project that aims to enhance the operational capabilities of Suez Canal to cope with the increasing traffic.

A consortium consisting of Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis), Van Oord, NMDC (Abu Dhabi) and Jan de Nul (Belgium) has acquired a contract from the Suez Canal Authorities in connection with the expansion of the Suez Canal, which provides a vital shipping link between Europe and Asia. The total contract value amounts to USD 1.5 billion, with each partner entitled to an equal share of USD 375 million. The 'new' Suez Canal will partially run in parallel to the current waterway and partially entail widening and deepening of existing parts thereof. The contract includes the construction of the parallel section of the canal with a…

India said on Tuesday it may appeal against parts of a World Trade Organization ruling against countervailing U.S. duties on some of its steel exports, despite being partly vindicated in a trade dispute. States impose countervailing duties, or punitively high import tariffs, when they suspect another country of gaining an unfair trade advantage through subsidies. The WTO, ruling on the April 2012 case, said on Monday that the United States had acted wrongly in claiming some Indian subsidy programmes had given steelmakers such as Tata Steel an unfair advantage. "Important issues have been in our favour but there are still some issues on which we are not happy," India Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher told reporters. "There are several procedural issues which are in U.S.

ONGC was honored with the prestigious corporate award – ‘The Dun & Brandstreet Corporate Excellence Award’ for its stellar management and leadership on May 28,2014. ONGC received the award for excellence in the Oil and Gas Production sector. Mr A K Jain, Executive Director, Chief- Offshore Engineering Services, received the award on the behalf of the organization. In all, there were 46 sectors which were recognized for their excellence and these were chosen among the top 500 companies of India, by the primary yardstick of their contribution to India’s GDP. These 500 companies contribute to over 20 percent of the nation’s GDP and are the pillars of economic progress of the country.

The International Association of Dredging Companies presented its Best Paper Award for a Young Author for the 28th time at the CEDA Dredging Days 12-13 December 2012 in Abu Dhabi, to Mr. Arnaud Verschelde for his paper ‘Erosion Behaviour of a Draghead’. Mr. Arnaud Verschelde graduated from the Delft University of Technology ‘Faculty of 3mE’ (Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering). He is presently a Project Engineer Automation at DEME (Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering). The erosion behaviour of a draghead designed in-house at DEME was investigated.

Abu Dhabi Ship Building has announced that it is stepping up its focus on maintenance, repairs and overhauling services, which has been one of the fastest-growing business divisions of the company. Abu Dhabi Ship Building is currently showcasing its advanced MRO capabilities at the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition & Conference (DIMDEX), the only specialized maritime defense exhibition in the Middle East, being held from March 26 to 28, 2012, at the Qatar National Convention Centre. Each year, Abu Dhabi Ship Building handles approximately 300 repair and upgrade projects for vessels like tugs, barges, landing craft, dredgers, work boats, crew boats, diving vessels, supply and safety vessels and anchor handling tug boats.

Grandweld Shipyards delievered “Zamil 101” the first of three fast aluminum crew boats to Zamil Offshore. The vessel was part of a contract, which was signed in November 2011, to build and deliver three sister crew boats. The 33.5m fast crew boat is powered by 3 high speed diesel engines driving 3 fixed pitch propellers to produce a speed of 27 Knots. The vessel is designed and built according to the classification rules and requirements of Bureau Veritas for Aluminum vessels. The vessel will be utilized to transport offshore personnel and cargo, and will be operating offshore Saudi Arabia.