From the keel-lay ceremony
Bibby WaveMaster 1 sees efficient construction schedule from experienced team at Damen Shipyards Galati
On 31 March, the construction of the first Damen Service Operations Vessel progressed a step further with the official keel laying ceremony of the Bibby WaveMaster 1 taking place at Damen’s yard in Romania. Continuing on from the first steel cutting in February, the initial stages of vessel fabrication are on schedule.
“We are dealing with a relatively short construction period of 14 months, ” states Damen Senior Project Manager René Hooijman. “So, to make the process as efficient as possible, we have divided the production into seven phases. We are right on schedule with phase 1 which involves ten mid-ship sections. In terms of engineering, this strategy is the most efficient. For example, the aft sections require a lot of engineering and equipment so they will be constructed at a later date.”
Further increasing the efficiency of the process, Damen is using a ‘parallel building’ strategy: “We are putting together the fore and aft sections into big blocks separately. Once complete, we will bring them outside and weld them together.”
Galati specialists
With the steel already cut for phase 2 and preparations being made for phase 3, personnel at Damen Shipyards Galati are staying one step ahead. “The team here are very experienced with building such complex one-off or first-of-series vessels. You can see this not only in the speed at which they work, but also the adaptability of the work procedures.”
Customary with most of Damen’s vessel construction projects is the company’s respect and appreciation regarding client input. The Bibby WaveMaster 1 is no different, says Mr Hooijman: “Bibby Marine Services has a 3-man team at the yard. We have a very smooth and pleasant cooperation with them.”
Client confidence
A keel laying ceremony is naturally also a special moment for the future owner of the vessel concerned. Bibby Marine Services CEO Stephen Blaikie is rightly enthusiastic at the prospect of the ongoing construction of the Bibby WaveMaster 1: “We believe in this market, we believe in the vessel and we believe in our own capabilities to satisfy the demands of the customer, ” he says. “The proof of this is that we have ordered this vessel on a speculative basis – we haven’t ordered it against a contract. I think that this is a sign of our confidence both in the vessel and the market sector.”
“It was nice to see the two company heads – Sir Michael Bibby and Kommer Damen – at the contract signing ceremony, ” continues Mr Blaikie. “Now we are looking forward to continuing working with Damen on this vessel and hopefully on other vessels in the future. Bibby’s aspirations are not to be a one-vessel company in this market.”
Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 32 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9, 000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 5, 000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 180 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 values 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 superyachts.
For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.
In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, Damen Shiprepair & Conversion has a worldwide network of 15 repair and conversion yards 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. DSC completes around 1, 500 repair and maintenance jobs annually.
