Damen Bags First Order from US Office
Stan Tug 3711 (Image: Damen)
Jan van Hogerwou, Sales Manager, Damen Shipyards Gorinchem; with Gary B. Lipely, Director of Marketing & Sales, Conrad Shipyards, USA (Photo: Damen)
(Photo: Damen)
Damen USA office hits the ground running with an order from Young Brothers for four Stan Tugs 3711
Damen Shipbuilding Group has established a permanent presence in Houston, with the August 1 opening of a new office headed by senior managers Jan van Hogerwou (New Construction) and Ruud Haneveer (Ship Repair & Conversion).
The move is part of Damen’s drive to expand its local footprint globally, bring it closer to current and prospective clients and enable a more responsive and personal service, according to the Dutch shipbuilder.
Already, the first order to be handled by the new entity is for four new Damen 3711 Stan Tugs by Young Brothers, Limited, a Saltchuk company operated by Foss Maritime and Hawaii’s largest inter-island cargo service provider.
The tugs will be built at Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana under a license and materials agreement with Damen. The first 37-meter, 6,000 hp tug will be delivered in the first quarter of 2018, trailed by the other three vessels in the 12 months following.
“Opening a permanent Damen presence in North America is a significant milestone for the group,” said Jan van Hogerwou. “With over 200 Damen design vessels built and delivered in the US, this has been an important market for our vessels for many years via our flexible licensing agreements, and we have enjoyed excellent cooperation with shipyards across the country. This latest initiative will enable us to strengthen our relationships further with both builders and operators, and serve the North American market with the innovative, cost-effective and dependable vessels that it seeks.”
The choice of Houston as the location of the new office is also intended to send a message to the offshore oil and gas sector in North America, Damen said: it is committed to supporting and working with vessel owners and operators to maximize efficiencies and minimize costs, despite the current downturn, and it will support Damen’s work with shipyards and owners right across the maritime sector and Damen’s product range.
