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20Maritime Reporter & Engineering News FEATURE SHIP REPAIR While business demand has not yet material- ized, it is envisioned that the region is poised for rapid near and long-term expansion, driven by a resurgent boom for offshore oil and gas business, and also for the continued reconstruction of Iraq.While KBSP continues to expand, there are a number of additional port and infrastructure proj-ects in the country that are designed to provide an overall positive impact, including: the construction of a 25km causeway that will connect Bahrain with Qatar; the construction of an LNG terminal; the construction of a building materials terminal at the old port facility; and deepening of its navigation channel to 15m. FUTURE GROWTH ASRY?s growth plan for the future will not di- verge much from its steady, conservative plan since its inception 35 years ago. ?We are ready for opportunities when the time is right,? said said ASRY?s Chairman, Shaikh Daij. ?It?s all about market conditions and timing. The market condi- tions today are not optimized for us to expand, as ship repair sales are down while the offshore business is up.? While he would not supply specific details on what, exactly, would constitute the ?right? condi- tions, he did admit that the organization is con- sistently evaluating opportunities in the region and abroad.Four New Shipyard Tugs to be Delivered ASRY does not engage in the construction of new vessels, as its CEO Potter put it succinctly: ?It is very simply, really: We have found that there has been more money to be made repairing ships and rigs than building them.? But it does build for its own account, and today it is building a se- ries of four new tugs, delivering the first at the end of 2011. The tugs are a design from Singapore?s SeaTech Solutions International, with a materials package provided by Singapore?s Pacific Ocean Engineering & Trading (POET). They replace the yard?s aging fleet of six 32-ton bollard pull tugs, which have been in service since 1977. The tugs meaure 25.8 x 9 x 5m with a molded draft of 4m, and feature Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) generating a bollard pull of 40 tons with speed, at half load, of 11 knots. While the four boats were designed for docking and berthing operations within the shipyard, they are also able to per- form coastal offshore towing operations. They feature a compact deckhouse placed well inboard, with spacious aft and fore decks. The wheelhouse provides a 360 degree view, while sky windows are fitted for enhanced ship handling operations. The hull is constructed of a double chine design with inclined transom stern and tapered bow. A double-plate skeg provides for good directional stability. The tugs have a low air draft, enabling them to provide assistance to highly raked ships when docking and undocking, as well as maneuvering under mooring lines. The hull is divided into four watertight compartments, while a heavy sheer strake around the hull, coupled with cylindri- cal fenders at the bow and the stern, provide for enhanced hull protection. Towing bits are located forward and aft, plus a combined hydraulic anchor/towing winch on the foredeck. Propulsion is via two Schottel SRP 1010 CP steerable rudder propeller units with CP inward rotating propellers in nozzles driven by two 1,324kW Yanmar 8N21 resiliently-mounted diesel engines, via cardan shafts, flexible couplings and clutch. Auxiliary machinery comprises two 99kW Volvo Penta diesel generators and two 20 cu. m./hr. bilge pumps. Each tug has accommodation for a crew of eight. (Photo: Greg Trauthwein) Shaikh Daij binSalman Al Khalifa Chairman, ASRY and the General Organization of Sea Ports, Kingdom of Bahrain Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa is Chairman of the ASRY and GOP Board and Un- dersecretary for Ports Affairs at the Ministry of Finance. He heldthe position of President of Cus-toms from March 2006 untilJune 2008 and prior to thatShaikh Daij was Assistant Undersecretary for Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Other positionspresently held by him include: Chairman of Asry Marketing Services Ltd. (ASRYMAR) and Board Member, United Arab Shipping Company and Bahrain Convention and Exhibition Au- thority. Previous positions held by him included: Chairman of Bahrain Airport Company and GCC Patent Office, Deputy Chairman, Bahrain Promotions & Marketing Board, and Board Member of Tender Board, Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA), Shaikha Hessa Girls School and King Fahd Causeway Author- ity. Shaikh Daij holds a BSBA in International Business from the American University, Washington, D.C. and a Leadership Management Diploma (Gulf Executive Program) from the Uni- versity of Virginia. The Maersk Idaho, which carries a lot of gear for the U.S. mil-itary in the Middle East, was in ASRY?s massive drydock re- cently for 30 days of general repair. (Photo: Greg Trauthwein) MR Jan.12 # 3 (18-25):MR Template 1/9/2012 11:56 AM Page 20