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ME workboat show opens with $15m sales

Abu Dhabi, October 1, 2013

Middle East Workboats & Offshore Marine 2013, a leading regional forum for owners, operators, industry professionals and suppliers, saw  six new contracts worth Dh55 million ($15 million) being siogned on the opening day.

The event being held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre runs through until Wednesday (October 2).

After a record-breaking opening day on Monday, even more deals are likely to be signed over the next two days, said event organisers Seatrade.

Just moments after the show had opened, the Middle East’s largest shipbuilder Grandweld Shipyards secured a repeat order worth Dh18.35 million to build a new 42 metre aluminum crew boat for Khalid Faraj Shipping. This is the third order received by Grandweld from Khalid Faraj Shipping over the last five months.

“The crew boat is based on Grandweld’s existing proven design, and can reach speeds in excess of 26 knots.  The vessel benefit from luxury seating, VIP accommodation, a larger deck space and enhanced crew comfort. With seating for 83 passengers, the vessel has a 110 sq  m loading area for over 90 tons of deck cargo,” remarked Jamal S. Abki, the general manager of Grandweld Shipyards.

Grandweld, a fully integrated shipyard providing shipbuilding, ship repair and engineering solutions to the marine industry, is part of Stanford Marine Group (SMG), which is 51 per cent owned by a fund managed by Abraaj Capital and 49 per cent by Abu Dhabi – listed Waha Capital.
 
“Our 42 metre fast aluminum crew boats have been a huge success with over 30 sister vessels delivered or currently under construction. As such Grandweld has become the leading provider for this class of vessel for an impressive list of regional and international clients,” added  Abki.

Chris Hayman, the chairman of Seatrade, said: “After a wave of onsite contract signings yesterday, which must have been worth millions of dollars at least, it was a pleasant surprise to find out that a further two contracts may be signed later today. This is a tremendous vote of confidence for the show and indicative of the upbeat sentiment that is prevalent throughout the show.”

Building on the success of the 2011 edition, which featured more than 2,800 participants, the show is hosting over 225 exhibiting companies and has seen a 9  per cent increase in sold square metres.

The focus of day two was undoubtedly the “Global Workboat Technology Forum” held in strategic partnership with Saudi Aramco. Delivering the keynote was D Ing Hassan A. Abouraya, Corporate Business Development, International Marketing & Risk Management, Zamil Offshore Services.

Hassan gave an overview of the offshore industry, forecasting that the industry was in for another decade of change.

“Offshore shipping is undergoing a period of unprecedented change and the industry faces more uncertainties than ever before. Global economics are uncertain, regulatory pressures are growing, the world fleet is over supplied and technology is developing faster than ever,” he stated.

Concluding on an upbeat note he added, “But, I still believe that offshore shipping’s evolution is set to continue and I am confident that performance management is becoming a top priority item; ships are designed now to a range of new criteria.”

Subsequent presentations were given by Ulf Tudem, General Manager, Effect Ships International AS, covering “Air Supported Vessel technology”; Gary Dockerty, Director, Sanmar Shipyard, who delivered a compelling session about sustainable (LNG powered) tugs.

The final day of the show will focus on dynamic positioning with a specific focus on power and control.-TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Sales | ship | Show | marine | workboat |

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