Damen looking to reap benefit of dry dock investment

The prime position of Curaçao in the southern Caribbean has made it an ideal location for drydocking services. Damen Shiprepair Curaçao (DSCu) has recently expanded its operations with the acquisition of two new floating docks. We asked DSCu managing director Lodewijk Franken how the company was taking advantage of its new facilities. 

Q. Are both your new floating docks (C and D) now in operation?

A. Yes. From the day the docks were ready to operate, we were able to dock a repair project in each dock thanks to our Damen worldwide sales network.

Q. By how much has your repair capacity in Curaçao been expanded with the coming of the new docks?

A. One hundred per cent. Damen Shiprepair Curaçao expanded from a shiprepair yard with two floating docks and 500 meters of quay, upgraded to a yard with four docks (two graving, two floating) and 600 meters of quay.

Q. With four docks now available for repairs, will that give you the combined capacity you need to meet the expected demands of customers in the foreseeable future?

A. Absolutely. With the dock capacity expansion, DSCu has more availability and more flexibility to offer its services and offer a dock slot for passing vessels that need urgent repairs, class renewals or major overhauls. Supported by over 90 years of Damen and CDM experience, this will give us the competitive edge that makes it an attractive location to maneuver to.

Q. How is DSCu taking advantage of Curaçao’s key location in relation to major shipping routes?

A. Curaçao is indeed very well positioned thanks to its geographical location and its natural deep harbor basin. There is a large number of shipping routes passing Curaçao from or to the Panama Canal. On top of that, Damen Shipyards has sold over 400 tug and workboats, crew tenders and offshore support vessels, which need frequent service, maintenance or repairs. Furthermore, Curaçao has reliable customer services, a professional harbor and port authority, frequent direct flights to Amsterdam, Bogota and Miami and a wide variety of additional services at the yard (propeller repair, engine maintenance, overhaul, paint application, hydraulic and electrical services).

Q. Do you hope to benefit as a company from the expanding offshore activities in the Gulf of Mexico?

A. Mexico is an emerging market. In the last six years the government has opened its borders to allow foreign contractors to explore and exploit the treasures of the Gulf of Mexico. Presently, with a new president-elect in Mexico, there is a new impulse to start initiatives and increase oil and gas production offshore and on land. With the increase of these activities, there will be more demand for fast crew vessels, offshore support vessels, tugs and workboats. DSCu offers its service capacity to attract more of these vessels from the emerging market of Mexico to Curaçao where they will be well served.

Q. The Damen Group is well known for supplying tugs, workboats, patrol vessels, etc to operators in the Caribbean. Is there a close liaison between Damen and DSCu in terms of having engineers and other personnel on site who are familiar with all aspects of Damen-built vessels?

A. We work closely together with Damen Services to fill up the smallest D-Dock, which is perfectly equipped to dock such smaller vessels. Cooperation is improving. Most important that we need to train our colleagues in the Netherlands and here at Curaçao to be aligned with each other’s expectations. This will lead to a success, thanks to the complementary factors that both bodies bring in.

Q. What main facilities does DSCu now have in terms of equipment and workshops?

A. We will have one more workshop in addition to the four workshops that we use to offer more reliable, cleaner and dedicated services. We have our own two mobile cranes, four docks and 600 meters of quay. We have upgraded our piping infrastructure. We are looking to convert from a shiprepair yard to a yard that offers major overhauls, complex repair jobs and conversion jobs as well. There is scope for steelwork, piping, mechanical jobs, bottom damage, propeller repair, main engine service and overhaul of all types of rotating equipment above and below deck as well as paint application jobs.

Q. I imagine that the skill of your workforce is paramount. Can you give me some idea of how you train your personnel – and keep them abreast of the latest technology – in order to carry out the wide range of specialised tasks that are required?

A. We have founded Stichting Maritiem Training Centrum (SMTC) with the financial support of the government. This provides us training for the local workers, based on a competency matrix. With this matrix we can qualify our workers and improve their skills.

Q. What is your vision for how you would like DSCu to move forward in the coming years?

A. More sales and more local support. Strength by partnership. More productivity. Profit.

New docks get to work

The new panamax-sized C-Dock, measuring 230 meters by 45 meters, was commissioned by Damen Shiprepair Curaçao on 2 November. It is one of two floating docks installed by Damen in Curaçao. The smaller D-Dock was carried inside C-Dock for the Atlantic crossing on board the heavy lift ship ‘Xin Guang Hua’ which arrived in Sint Anna Bay on 30 April.

After final tests, C-Dock was submerged onto the equalized seabed and subsequently received its first commercial ship, a 63,400 dwt bulk carrier, which was docked by the Nautical Department of DSCu with the assistance of KTK pilots and tugs.

D-Dock was floated out in late October to be moored alongside the repair quay. With electric power connected and pumps and valves tested, this dock also entered service in November.

The new docks are part of a wider program of investment by Damen since it took over the Curaçao Drydock Company in 2017. Today, DSCu employs 326 people.

Who’s using the shipyard?

Major customers of DSCu at the present time include Dutch and Belgian dredging companies such as Van Oord, Boskalis, Dutch Dredging and Jan De Nul as well as tanker owners from Germany and bulk carrier owners from Greece. In addition, KTK, APA and Svitzer are regular customers.

The types of vessel being handled include bulk carriers, general cargo ships, tankers, LPG carriers, containership, medium-sized cruise ships and medium-sized yachts as well as tugs, workboats and offshore support vessels.