Damen Buys Ship Repair Robots for Yard in Dunkirk

AMBPR, a SERCEL company, announced that it has signed a contract with Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque for the sale of the first five ship repair robots. Damen in Dunkerque is thus the first shipyard in the world to acquire the GreenDock Robot, an autonomous solution for washing, UHP and abrasive blast cleaning, and painting of ships.

The official signing took place at the SMM trade fair in Hamburg on September 4 following several years of collaboration between the robot manufacturer and DSDu, which, based on industrial tests, confirmed the robot’s good performance in autonomous washing, UHP and abrasive blast cleaning and painting of ships, as well as its positive environmental impact, reducing water consumption (-90%), pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, etc.

“We were fortunate to quickly receive enthusiastic support from the industry, particularly from Damen Dunkerque. This enabled GreenDock Robot to move from a blank sheet to industrial development at the heart of several French ports, and then to commercial deployment (TRL9) in just a few years,” said Stéphane Renouard, founder and president of AMBPR. “The simultaneous acquisition of five robots by a shipyard which contributed to its development proves that the GreenDock Robot has demonstrated its relevance and found its audience.”

“This world-first is a major step for us and our industry as a whole,” sad Fabien Guillemot, Managing Director Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque. “It is important to us to innovate in ship repair and to make the process more environmentally sustainable. For example, the 90% reduction in water consumption achieved thanks to the recycling made possible by AMBPR’s robot, is an exceptional result which will particularly interest maritime stakeholders striving to reduce their environmental footprint.”