Ship Repair Unit News

The Expansion, modernization and upgradation of shipping infrastructure in India is an on-going process to keep the ports abreast with new technologies and also to promote trade and cargo. The Government is committed to provide best possible infrastructure facilities to Indian shipping industry. Cochin Shipyard Limited, a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the administrative control of Ministry of Shipping has a shipbuilding capacity of 1,10,000 DWT and ship-repair capacity of 1,25,000 DWT to cater to the needs of the shipping industry. (i) Exempted Customs and Excise Duty leviable on bunker fuels used in Indian flag vessels for transportation of mix of EXIM, domestic and empty containers between two or more ports in India.

Gibbs & Cox, Inc., an independent naval architecture and marine engineering firm, announced the appointment of Patrick J. Keenan as Vice President, Platform Solutions Group. In this role, Keenan will have responsibility for leadership and management of the company's government and commercial ship design solutions across the Gibbs & Cox global portfolio. "Who do you want on your team to salvage the Costa Concordia? You want the guy who led salvage and recovery of USS Cole. That's Pat Keenan," said Rick Biben, CEO. Prior to joining Gibbs & Cox, Inc., Pat served as Global Operations Director for Crowley/Titan Salvage, where he led operations in the recent raising of the Costa Concordia, the largest salvage job in maritime history.

Nico International informed that the new dry-docking and repair facility in Abu Dhabi Port Company’s Freeport has completed the first two months of successful operations and has carried out afloat and dry docking jobs on more than thirty vessels. The Dock is able to accommodate vessels up to 2,000 tons and 80m LOA while wet berth space is available up to 400m. This facility confirms Nico International’s strong reputation in the region as a professional service provider to the marine sector. In addition to that, the Ship Repair Unit also operates a large facility in Abu Dhabi Industrial Area with the capability of Docking Barges up to 130m LOA and managing major conversions jobs.

The Maritime Administration (MarAd) announced that a $4.1m contract has been awarded to the Norfolk Ship Repair Unit of BAE Systems for dry-docking and maintenance on the National Historic Landmark vessel N.S. Savannah. The Savannah, the world’s first and the only U.S.-built nuclear-powered merchant ship, is currently moored at the BAE facility. All nuclear fuel was removed from the Savannah more than 30 years ago. The major work to be done on the Savannah is a full surface preparation and coating of the ship’s exterior from top to bottom. Other work includes detailed inspection of the ship’s double bottom ballast tanks, repairs to the ship’s cargo hatch covers, and minor exterior repairs to ensure the weather tight integrity of the ship.

In its bid to cater to the international ship repair demand, private sector shipyard ABG Shipyard is planning to acquire ship repair units in the key shipping routes’ network, including Singapore and China. ABG Shipyard has already acquired a ship repair unit at Fujairah, UAE, for an undiscosed amount. The company is planning to develop Fujairah as a ship repair hub in a phased manner. The company has recently acquired a Canadian shipbuilding equipment facility for $ 5.6 million. According to shipping industry analysts, a vessel with 1,2000 DWT would cost $40 million to $50 million. At present, the company has an order book of Rs 1,700 crore.