Page 44: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2013)

44 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? January 2013 REPAIR NOTESDamen Shipyards Group bought French shiprepair yard Arno Dunkerque, which is the only operator for ship repair and conversion in Dunkirk, the third largest French port. Arno Dunkerque will continue its ship repair and con-version services, and its personnel and manage-ment will remain in place. ?Arno brings added value to Damen as it is a modern shipyard with about 160 highly skilled workers,? said René Berkvens, CEO Damen Shipyards. ?The presence of a signiÞ cant industrial environment, consist- ing of nearby specialist subcontractors, is another reason.? According to Damen Shipyards, this ac- quisition Þ ts perfectly in its long-term strategy of expanding its repair and conversion services. It is similar to the acquisition of Damen Shiprepair Brest (formerly Sobrena), which equally Þ tted in this strategy and, like Arno, not only included the yard, but also the entire staff. Arno Dunkerque is a long-term investment, integrally tied-in with Damen?s other repair activities. ?We are extremely happy that a deal was achieved with Damen Shipyards Group, a com-pany providing a worldwide network and a strong expertise in this industry, which will reinforce the position of ship repair activities in the Port of Dunkirk and will give it international coverage,? said Christine Cabau Woehrel, CEO of Dunkirk Port Authority. www.damen.com MHI Invests Cruise Repair & Conversion Business In a sign of further strengthening of the Asian cruise industry, Mitsubishi Heavy In- dustries, Ltd. (MHI) is investing in its abil-ity to repair and convert these unique, high value ships. Along with swift expansion of the cruise market in Asia it has become increasingly important for cruise companies, both Japanese and foreign, to differentiate their services and enhance their responsiveness to customer needs. Against this backdrop, MHI has received orders from Mitsui O.S.K. Passenger Line, Ltd. (MO-PAS) and Nippon Charter Cruise, Ltd. (NCC) for repair and conversion work on the Nippon Maru and Fuji Maru, respectively. The work will be performed at MHI?s Yokohama Dockyard & Ma- chinery Works in Kanagawa Prefecture between mid-December and the end of January 2013. The repair and conversion work on the two ships will be carried out in line with the medium- to long-range maintenance plans of MOPAS and NCC, respectively, to ramp up ship safety and passenger comfort. Earlier, the Yokohama Dock- yard undertook a major conversion of the Nippon Maru (pictured) in 2010. Under the new orders, work on the Fuji Maru will take place from De-cember 14 through 26 and on the Nippon Maru from January 15 through 27. In the latter instance, besides periodical mandated inspection, work will also be performed to boost energy savings and passenger service, including installation of LED lighting and upgrading of galley facilities. Both ships were built at MHI?s Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works. The Fuji Maru, which went into service in 1989, was the Þ rst cruise ship manufactured in Japan in the postwar era. The 23,235 gross tonnage (GT), 167m long and 24m wide ship has 163 cabins. The Nippon Maru, the third ship so named, went into operation in 1990; it has 202 cabins and features a 166.65m long, 24m wide hull with 22,472 GT. Damen Acquires Arno Dunkerque MR #1 (42-50).indd 44MR #1 (42-50).indd 441/3/2013 11:31:55 AM1/3/2013 11:31:55 AM