Damen Shipyards Group consolidate commitment to Australian shipbuilding

Damen Shipyards Group recently visited Adelaide to further consolidate their partnership with ASC Shipbuilding and Forgacs Marine and Defence (Forgacs) (ASC Forgacs Shipbuilding) to build twelve Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) for the Australian Navy and to explore domestic and export opportunities for both the commercial and naval markets. Mr Roland Briene, Damen’s Area Director Asia Pacific, also highlighted two important milestones for DAMEN in Australia: the 5th anniversary of Damen’s Australian company, DAMEN Services Brisbane, and the intention to establish a second long-term service hub in support of the SEA 1180 program, the company said in its press release.

Damen, as one of the three designers competing for the OPV program, is fully committed to consolidating their commitment to Australia. Approaching the delivery of their 100th vessel to the Australian market, DAMEN has built more than 6,000 vessels, with close to 1,000 of these constructed with partner shipbuilders from all over the globe. Recent examples include the successful build and delivery of the following:

•    Two frigates for the Indonesian Navy, partnering with the Indonesian Government-owned PT-PAL shipyard in Surabaya;
•    Ten OPVs for the Vietnamese Coastguard and Navy, built in a Government-owned shipyard in Haiphong, Vietnam;
•    80 ships for the commercial market with a privately-owned Shipbuilder and operator in Brazil
•    Construction of the Dutch Joint Support Ship, HMNLS Karel Doorman, for the Royal Netherlands Navy at a Damen-owned shipyard in Romania.

This experience of building quality ships in partner shipyards is the hallmark of Damen’s Technical Cooperation (DTC) Department – an organisation consisting of experienced shipbuilders covering every discipline.  The sole aim of the Department is to transfer the necessary skills and intellectual property to enable local shipyards to excel. This experience will be vital to assist the Australian Government with the successful delivery of the Naval Shipbuilding Plan and personnel from the joint partnership have already been collaborating with DAMEN to begin cross pollinating knowledge and experience

Earlier this year DAMEN hosted four separate industry briefings to ensure the maximisation of Australian content for the program. The result of this ongoing dialogue means key Australian suppliers have already been included in Damen’s global supply chain and will also have the opportunity to team with experienced overseas suppliers.

Damen, who will be the Prime Contractor with responsibility for the delivery of the twelve ships on time, on budget, has teamed with ASC Forgacs Shipbuilding to compete for the foundation project of Australia’s continuous Naval shipbuilding enterprise. This relationship is already bearing fruit, with Forgacs Marine & Defence in line to build some specialist marine equipment for a DAMEN commercial customer in WA.

Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 33 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9,000 people worldwide. DAMEN has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 180 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept DAMEN is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, DAMEN vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types DAMEN offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. DAMEN also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, DAMEN Shiprepair & Conversion has a worldwide network of 17 repair and conversion yards with dry docks ranging up to 420 x 80 metres. Conversion projects range from adapting vessels to today’s requirements and regulations to the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,350 repair and maintenance jobs annually.