Damen Shipyards Group has announced plans to establish a Service Hub in the Russian port of Novorossiysk in a Letter of Intent (LOI) signed with Delo Group of companies, the company said in its press release.
The primary aims of the Service Hub will be to optimise the services provided to the growing number of DAMEN vessels operating in the region in addition to strengthening Damen’s cooperative relationship with Delo Group of companies. Part of DeloPorts (which is, in turn, part of the Delo Group), Aleksino Port Marina Shipyard is a ship repair facility located in the Port of Novorossiysk, on the north-eastern coast of the Black Sea.
The LOI was signed by representatives from the two companies during the NEVA 2017 trade fair in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The open-ended agreement states that cooperation between DAMEN and Delo Group of companies regarding the new Service Hub will commence before the end of 2017.
Quick response Damen’s decision to set up the new Service Hub is based in part on the large number of Damen-built vessels that operate in the Black Sea area. Currently more than 30 vessels that DAMEN built are operating in the region. Having a Service Hub here will allow DAMEN to react very quickly to any service or maintenance issues, by which DAMEN ship owners can increase the uptime of their vessels. Moreover, an ongoing service programme can also lengthen the entire lifetime of a vessel while reducing the Total Cost of Ownership. This current number of DAMEN vessels operating in the area is set to increase in the coming months, as Delo Services (also part of Delo Group of companies) takes delivery of three DAMEN ASD 2310 tugs in November. Handover of a fourth ASD 2310 is scheduled for 2018.
A global network In addition to providing service support to vessels in the area, the new Service Hub will also have relevance to operations at Aleksino Port Marina Shipyard. DAMEN intends to assist the local shipyard by adding value to their service and repair portfolio. DAMEN operates Service Hubs around the world. The new Service hub in Novorossiysk will be the next step in Russia to further professionalize the service delivered to DAMEN customers.
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. DAMEN Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of sixteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating and (covered) drydocks, the largest of which is 420 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,350 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.