Spain’s Cardama Shipyard records 1000th ship docking

Spain’s Cardama Shipyard is reporting another milestone in its illustrious history after completing its 1000th ship repair project since the turn of the century.

The shipyard founded in 1916 in Vigo, Northwest of Spain, has developed a world-class reputation in shipbuilding and ship repair with an order book spanning more than 100 years.

Cardama Managing Director Mario Cardama said 2020 heralds another significant landmark for the yard - which remains one of the busiest in Spain – after completing its 1000th ship docking since 2000.

It follows a wide range of international projects and tenders secured from many countries throughout the decades including Angola, Iraq, Morocco, Iceland, United Kingdom, Algeria, Benin, Ecuador and Venezuela.

“This is a firm signal of our burning ambition to continue driving growth,” he said. “Cardama shipyard is steeped in history and highly regarded for its shipbuilding and ship-repair pedigree, however, we have remained relevant for more than a century by embracing change and emerging technologies. Cardama is a progressive and dynamic business and we have succeeded by focusing on client satisfaction – combining our deep maritime engineering knowledge and cutting edge solutions.

“Within the last 1000 ship dockings we have delivered close to 40 new build projects and we are on the cusp of landing more new build contracts. While it’s clearly a challenging time for industry and the world at large we are continuing to operate efficiently and effectively. We firmly believe the best years are ahead for Cardama Shipyard and are now laying the roadmap for a busy schedule over the coming years.”

Recent projects delivered by Cardama have involved a wide range of vessels including oil recovery, ocean research, maritime rescue, emergency response, trawlers, long-liner, fishery survey, all types of tugs and dredgers.

Mr Cardama said large volumes of repeat work have been a key factor in returning record breaking results over the last 20 years.

“Looking back over the last 20 years we have witnessed major growth and development at the yard, not just in ship docking figures, but in skills, innovation and delivery,” he said. “Clients return to us on a consistent basis because they trust in our vast experience combined with a highly specialised design service capable of delivering flexible, tailormade solutions to meet individual preferences. We are firmly focused on delivering high quality projects - to time and to budget. Our yard also benefits from a strategic location in Vigo which is considered a hotbed for maritime engineering talent with a world-class supply chain on the doorstep”.

“In recent years we have worked hard to streamline our service level to add greater value to clients and we continually invest in training to ensure we have highly skilled staff. Quality is also a key element within our competitive strategy, and we involve all workers in the common goal of continuous quality improvement. This is reflected in our international certifications including Bureau Veritas ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

“In essence, this is all part of our overarching mission to ensure Cardama Shipyard offers clients world-class facilities, skills and services, and unparalleled convenience and value to shipowners.”

Cardama Shipyard

Cardama Shipyard was founded in 1916 by Francisco Cardama Godoy in the famous maritime city of Vigo, Northern Spain. It constructed wooden vessels and manufactured marine paint. During the 1960s and 70s the company experienced a huge transformation moving to the repair of steel vessels, mainly for the fishing industry, coming back to new building activity in 1999 focusing on high added value vessels.

Nowadays, Cardama Shipyard is regarded as one of the most active shipyards in Spain and has been awarded a wide range of international projects in countries including Angola, Iraq, Morocco, Iceland, United Kingdom, Algeria, Benin, Ecuador and Venezuela, among others. The yard has delivered close to 40 new-build projects in the last 20 years, combining its vast shipbuilding experience with cutting edge technology and design. Its projects have involved a wide variety of vessels including oil recovery, ocean research, maritime rescue, emergency response, trawlers, long-liner, fishery survey, all types of tugs and dredgers. Expert in Ship repair activities, they have successfully developed re-powerings, enlargements, conversions and many other complex operations.