Kazmortransflot LLP takes delivery of final Damen Shoalbuster 2709 for Caspian Sea operations

National Maritime Shipping Company Kazmortransflot LLP, a leader in transportation in the Caspian Sea region, has taken delivery of its third Damen Shoalbuster 2709, the last in the current order. The vessels are ideal for operations in the shallow waters of the Caspian Sea and are now playing an important role in the development of oil fields in the Kazakh section of the inland sea and significantly expanding the range of services that Kazmortransflot can offer its clients, Damen said in its press release.

The contracts for the three Shoalbusters 2709 were signed in July 2017 between Damen, NMSC Kazmortransflot LLP and Al Hilal Islamic Bank, which arranged the Sharia compliant financing. All three vessels were built at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem with the first two delivered from stock just two months following the signing of the contract. Named Emba and Talas, they were handed over to Kazmortransflot on 5 September 2017 in the Netherlands. The third, named Irgiz, was officially delivered on 15 March this year. The vessels are RMRS classified.

The versatile and highly successful Damen Shoalbuster range offers a wide range of options within the standard designs, and Kazmortransflot chose a higher power rating for their 27-metre vessels to deliver a top speed of more than 11 knots and a bollard pull of more than 40 tonnes. Their duties will include towing structures and other vessels, assisting ships, navigational assistance, the planting and handling of anchors, and other auxiliary ship duties.

Marat Ormanov of Kazmortransflot said at the time of the contract signing, “We chose to work with Damen for these vessels because of the proven track record of the Damen Shoalbuster range. Also, thanks to Damen’s standardised shipbuilding concept and philosophy of building for stock, they are able to deliver our vessels within very short term, enabling us to rapidly put our development plans into action.”

Marc Tijssen, Sales Manager at Damen Shipyards Group, added: “Damen is involved in the Caspian Sea already for a long time. We trust that the delivery of these three vessels marks the first step in a long-term relationship with Kazmortransflot. We are looking forward to assist them with new projects!”

Yeltay Mukhamejanov, Head of Business of Al Hilal Islamic Bank: “We are pleased to provide the first Islamic structured financing for Kazmortransflot and make our contribution in developing the Caspian region.”  

National Maritime Shipping Company Kazmortransflot operates a fleet of modern tankers and support vessels in the Caspian region. Owned by National Company KazMunaiGas JSC, its primary objective is the development of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s merchant marine and the growth of a domestic shipping capability to serve its international trade flows.



Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 34 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 10,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 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 eighteen 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 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyages.