With the arrival of the LNG carrier ARCTIC SPIRIT Damen Shiprepair Brest continues to recover market share in the LNG repair business, following Damen’s acquisition of French shipyard Sobrena just under a year ago.
The repair yard was and is particularly well respected for its LNG expertise and the ARCTIC SPIRIT contract provides yet another chance to prove it.
Early February the Teekay-owned and managed ARCTIC SPIRIT, which has a capacity of 89,880 m³, arrived in Brest and is due to stay for approximately three weeks. The vessel is one of the few LNG carriers with an IHI SPB Prismatic Cargo Containment System, which makes it a somewhat special and highly complex vessel.
Industry majors return
Damen Shiprepair Brest Managing Director, Jos Goris comments: “We are very pleased and proud that an industry major such as Teekay has proven confidence in our yard.” Late last year, Shell and Hyproc had also chosen to dry-dock LNG carriers at the yard.
Able to carry out dry-docking, refit and repair works, the Damen yard is determined to become a reliable and long-term business partner for the LNG community. “We have a very clear and open business concept which is built on transparency, mutual trust and customer service. In the current challenging climate we understand that our clients need to perform more than ever and the selection of the right shipyard plays an important role in being successful,” emphasises Mr Goris.
In the past the shipyard carried out more than 100 LNG carrier refit projects. Damen Shiprepair Brest is confident that it can continue to show the LNG community that the shipyard has the expertise and experience needed to serve this specialist sector.
Bringing healthy competition back to the LNG repair sector
He points out that since Sobrena, as the yard was formerly known, closed in September 2011, there had hardly been any competition in the North West European region for LNG dry-docking and repair. However, most LNG carrier owners and managers trading in the region had indicated that they are willing to support fresh alternatives, he adds. “We are very confident that the LNG community will support us with more bookings and at sustainable price levels.”
He stresses: “Damen Shiprepair Brest is very keen to bring healthy competition to the market again. We are aware that there is some heavy discounting going on, but would question whether such low rates will benefit the LNG sector in the long-term.”
During the first nine months of operations as part of the Damen Shipyards Group, Damen Shiprepair Brest has serviced more than 40 vessels from majors such as Knutsen, Odfjell, Hyproc, STASCO, Columbia Ship Management, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, Northern Marine Management, Wallem, Bourbon and CMA-CGM.
[mappress] LNG World News Staff, February 08, 2013; Image: Damen