Page 48: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2013)

48 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? OCTOBER 2013 When Kommer Damen began running the Damen com-pany in 1969, he made changes to the company?s opera- tions instantaneously. One of his Þ rst initiatives involved standardizing the construction of vessels based on modu-lar building principles, a bedrock business principle that has driven the company?s growth for the last 40 years. Continuing its standardized mode of building today, Da- men builds on spec and keeps stock of its most popular vessels, enabling buyers to obtain vessels in a matter of weeks, rather than months or years, with a competitive price tag, too. Damen?s newbuilding activities presently includes a range of vessels in each of its niche markets, of which it delivers between 120-150 annually (more than 5,000 since 1969), including tugs, workboats, offshore support vessels, dredgers, navy and patrol craft, cargo ships, fast ferries, Þ shing vessels, barges and luxury yachts. Of Da- men?s newbuilds, 22% are harbor services and shipping, 20% offshore and support, 20% security and patrol, 20% naval, 5% public transport, 8% yachts and 5% dredging.The group?s annual turnover in 2012 was $2.3 billion, and the company projects between $2.4-2.6 billion for 2013. Newbuild commands the lion?s share (70%), with repair smaller (14%) but growing fast. By region, Damen deliveries include 24% for the Netherlands, 33% for the rest of Europe, 11% the Americas, 13% Asia, 12% Africa and 7% Middle East.Design Spotlight - The Axe Bow A recent market changer is Damen?s Axe Bow concept. Attempting to improve seakeeping abilities and comfort of high-speed vessels, Damen?s Axe Bow has been in the works since the 1980s. Starting with the long-hulled ?Enlarged Ship Concept,? Damen initially produced the Stan Patrol 4207 and 4708 in the 1990s. It wasn?t until the 2000s that the Axe Bow hull form was fully devel- oped with the debut of ?Sea Axe? patrol vessels and fast crew suppliers. Literally shaped like the head of an axe, the slender Axe Bow is designed to cut through seas at high speeds with reduced wave resistance. In addition to improving vessel operability, comfort and safety, Damen says the dramatic drag reduction cuts fuel usage by 20% and as a result also signiÞ cantly reduces emissions. Damen quickly incorporated the Sea Axe design into several of its market areas, producing builds from 19-67 meters in areas ranging from patrol vessels fast crew sup-pliers, even building a ?Twin Axe? catamaran. More than 100 vessels with the Sea Axe design have been sold since 2005, mostly for use offshore, with nearly 60 under con- struction at Damen yards globally. Looking ahead, Damen plans to scale up in the follow-ing areas: offshore, harbor terminal and tugs, naval and patrol, dredging, defense and security, public transporta- tion, government and naval, yachts and offshore energy. Offshore Damen admits the offshore newbuild sector is not a ma- jor contributor to its bottom line ? for now. Damen?s off- shore division has an annual turnover between $200-270 million, accounting for approximately 10% of its $2.3 billion total for the group in 2012. Damen?s Þ rst offshore vessel was a one-off supplier built in 1987, but the com- pany?s offshore builds didn?t pick up until after the start of the new millennium when the company?s Brazilian partner Wilson Sons (see related story, page 54) inquired for the design of a platform supplier, which was built in 2007. This served as a turning point for the company, and Damen decided to increase its offshore building activity, keeping its basis in the Brazillian market. In 2010, World- wide Supply placed an order for six new platform suppli-ers (two have already been delivered, while the remaining four are expected by the end of 2013, and an additional The NetherlandsAnything but Standard Anything but Standard From a single newbuild and repair yard near Rotterdam in 1927, the family-owned Da-men Shipbuilding group has expanded to 38 shipyards and related companies involved in new construction as well as repair and maintenance activi- ties. Now with more than 8,000 employees and a presence in 34 countries, the Netherlands-based Damen group has be- come one of the world?s most successful shipbuilding busi-nesses, thanks largely to its production methods and ever- expanding design portfolio.By Eric HaunDamen newbuild and repair group targets global growth MR #10 (42-49).indd 48MR #10 (42-49).indd 4810/4/2013 9:03:51 AM10/4/2013 9:03:51 AM