Sharjah Ports Authority and Damen Shipyards officially celebrated the keel laying of two new vessels on December 11. Mr. Mohammed Meer Al Sarrah, Director of the Department of Seaports and Customs at the Hamriyah Free Zone Authority and Sharjah Airport International Free Zone presided over the ceremony, which was held at Damen Shipyards Sharjah, a new facility in the Dutch Group.
The United Arab Emirates port and customs authority has been a long-term customer of Damen and already has eight Damen Stan Tugs in its fleet. The new Damen ASD Tug 2411 is the port’s first ASD tug and the Damen Stan Pilot 1605 FRP, boasts the latest pilot boat design, with a chimed hull and modified Axe Bow, providing superior sea keeping abilities. The new pilot vessel is capable of 33 knots.
The order for the two new vessels is the first time the Port Authority will take delivery of vessels built in Hamriyah Free Zone in Sharjah, which is one of three ports owned by Sharjah Ports Authority.
With a 67 tonne bollard pull ahead, the Damen ASD Tug 2411 will be deployed in KhorFakkan, while the pilot boat will be stationed in Port Khalid. The ASD Tug, which is equipped with FiFi 1 and water spraying notation.
Eight ASD tugs under construction
Based in the Hamriyah Free Zone, Damen Shipyards Sharjah FZE was opened by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah on January 13, 2014. Currently, eight vessels are under construction at the yard – four Damen ASD Tug 2411 and four ASD Tug 2810 types.
Pascal Slingerland, Damen Sales Manager Middle East, who was previously the project manager for the construction of Damen Shipyards Sharjah, commented: “The ASD Tugs are highly maneuverableand powerful vessels and ideally suited for KhorFakkan, which has recently undergone a large expansion.
Reliability
“The Port Authority knows our vessels are reliable; we have built some 60 Damen ASD 2411tugs over the years and a large number of these vessels are operating very successfully here in the UAE. With such a large number of Damen tugs operating in thisregion, it is a big advantage that Damen is based in the Port Authority’s own Free Zone, when construction is going on and thereafter so we can support Sharjah Port Authority with our onsite warranty and service engineers and our modern drydock facility.”
In addition, ASD training is being provided byDamen after delivery of the vessel.“Our services could continue with a broad range of options for the deployment phase; from a computerized Maintenance Management System and technical assistance wherever needed, to training programs and Customer Service Agreements.”
Damen Shipyards Sharjah has a 5, 200 tonneship lift and is suitable for new build vessels, repairs, maintenance and conversion activities. Full-time Damen service and warranty engineersare also based in Sharjah.
Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 32 ship- and repair yards, employing 8, 000 people worldwide.Damen has delivered more than 5.000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers approx.160 vessels annually to customers worldwide.Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.
Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale value and reliable performance.Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.
Damen offers a wide range of products, including:tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and super yachts.
For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of Services, such as maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how.To complete, Damen offers a variety of marine components, especially nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.
Damen Shiprepair & Conversion
In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, Damen Shiprepair & Conversion offers a network of 15 repair & conversion yards worldwide, with dry docks ranging up to 420 x 80 metres.Conversion projects range from adapting vessels to today’s requirements and regulations to the complete conversion of large offshore structures.DS&C handles 1, 500 repair and maintenance jobs annually.
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