Page 46: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2012)

46Maritime Reporter & Engineering News In the face of cheaper ship repair alterna- tives in the Far East, what do you count as the biggest challenge to run a German-based ship repair business today? PilaarStay and be focused! Select aproject, evaluate if this is good project for the yard. And then work on the project until the order is there. You can only suc- ceed if you know what you want and what route you take to get there. We know very well when we have to do a ?technical sale? or a ?price sale.? If we can beat the competition on our technicalskills and competence we will give such a project priority. Over your career, what do you consider to be the leading technologies or develop- ments that have positively impacted the business of repairing ships? PilaarThe change of mindset to whatis today called ?Green Shipping.? In con- junction with it, the development of new technologies and techniques to keep the environment cleaner. This applies not only for ships in operation but also for the treatment of ships being at the yard. For example the treatment of ship hulls from grit blasting to hydro blasting was gener- ated by Blohm + Voss Repair. Together with our wastewater treatment plant, where we collect the waste water from our docks, we have made a big step even to a ?green shipyard? and prove that Ger- man shipyards are advanced in regard to sophisticated technologies. How is Blohm + Voss investing today? PilaarFirst of all, we invest in our staff. It is important, even for a German- based repair yard, that our employees will always be trained on the highest business and technical standards. Further Insights with Jan Kees Pilaar, Managing Director, Blohm + Voss A challenging repair job was the conversion of KRAKA to DAN SWIFTfor Lauritzen Tankers, a project which turned an uncompleted cablelayer into an ocean going, DP ac-commodation and support vessel. RepairArab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard (A Bahrain?s Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard (ASRY) has come a long way since starting operations towards the end of 1977, as the Arabian Gulf?s first VLCC repair yard. Today ASRY is involved in the repair of all types of commercialvessels, naval craft and offshore jack-up rigs. It also has an expanding newbuild- ing division which has built specialist barges as well as completing four new tugs for its own use. In a further diversi- fication, ASRY has established two new divisions, ASRY Energy which is build- ing Power Barges (floating electricity generating stations), and ASRY Consul- tancy Services, which is offering turnkey engineering design services for major conversion projects as well as newbuildings. While business for pure shiprepair yards continues to be tough,especially in the Middle East where thearrival of two brand new yards has in- creased competition, ASRY diversifica- tion policy is paying off. Shipyard Investment and Improvement ASRY is currently coming to the com- pletion of a major $188m facility ex- pansion project, which positions theyard for the inevitable market upturn, and is indicative of the yard?s long term commitment: investing in a down mar- ket. The $188m expansion project has seen the construction of a new deep water 1.38m Repair Quay Wall, equipped with two large rail-mounted cranes; a 200,000 sq. m. offshore fabri- cation area with load-out quay: and fournew Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugs, built by ASRY itself. In early 2012 the yard continued to invest in new facili- ties, notably a $8.6m desalination plantand a $2.3m eco-friendly sewage treat- ment plant. ASRY is also investing in people, starting an apprentice schemeand also training 50 Bahraini?s to work in all departments of ASRY. The Bahrain repairer has also under- taken measures to help the hard-pressed ship owning community. At the end of 2011 ASRY undertook a strategic review of the way the yard approaches Fleet Re- pair Agreement with shipowners, result- ing in ASRY re-adjusting its terms for mutual benefit and positioning the ASRY offering more competitively. The decision to establish a dedicatedoffshore division three years ago has paid off, with ASRY Offshore Services (AOS) contributing 40% of all sales and 50% of profit in 2011. To cope with in- creased offshore business, not just jack- up repairs, but also the potential of AOS moving into the offshore fabrication sec- tor, AOS?s offices within the yard have virtually double in size this year, not just for offices for AOS staff, but also repre- sentatives of offshore operators. Shiprepair Projects The end of June 2012 saw the Bahrain face perhaps its major challenge to date, when the fire and explosion damaged 25,268dwt; 2004-built chemical tanker Stolt Valor arrived at the yard under tow. The Liberian-flag chemical tanker, op- erated by Stolt Tankers BV (a subsidiary of Stolt-Nielsen Ltd) suffered a cargo tank explosion on March 15, 2012, while 48 nautical miles south east ofFarsi Island, Iran, while carrying 13,000 tons of MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl ASRY CEO Chris Potter Bahrain-based Ship Repair Yard Invests $188m in facilities; Expands offshore operations MR#8 (42-49):MR Template 8/9/2012 9:39 AM Page 46