Houston of the East

In a bid to turn Singapore into a byword for technical expertise on a par with oil production centres like Houston or Aberdeen, Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) is establishing a Centre of Excellence for Technology.

Choo Chiau Beng, chairman and chief executive officer of Keppel O&M, says: “With some 15 years of experience in this area of technology behind us, Keppel Offshore & Marine has accumulated extensive network, skills and expertise which can be leveraged to enhance our efforts towards building a technology Centre of Excellence for Singapore.”

Within the group, it aims to transform its Singapore design office into a centre of excellence for the rigbuilding and marine conversion industry. It wants to build on its current capability in jack-up rigs and jacking systems plus its experience in floating oil storage system conversions.

Foo Kok Seng, general manager (technology development) of Keppel O&M, outlined plans for the centre. “We intend to enter into strategic relationship with our customers and provide solution providers.”

He added that Keppel O&M is on the lookout to acquire or invest in IT companies that can contribute to this plan.

On a broader front, Keppel O&M wants to develop Singapore as a centre of excellence for marine and offshore technology.

Dr Foo notes: “Through this centre of excellence, we aim to establish Singapore on the world map as a centre of innovation and excellence providing new solutions, services and products for the offshore industry, rivalling that of Houston or Aberdeen.”

Keppel O&M?s first step towards this goal was to sponsor the Keppel Professorship in Ocean, Offshore and Marine Technology in the National University of Singapore.

The professorship will be established with seed money of S$1.5 million ($860,000), which will be used for various activities. For example, it could be used for research projects and product and technology development in the offshore and marine industry.

The professorship will also sponsor visiting professors in related fields. It also aims to promote wider participation from designers, shipyards, shipowners and professional bodies at home and abroad.

Boom time in the repair yards

Singapore?s shiprepair yards are enjoying a boom this year. For example, shiprepair, shipbuilding and conversions generated some S$470 million ($269 million) for SembCorp Marine in revenue at half-time this year ? an increase of over 34%.

A major job being carried out at Sembawang Shipyard, which comes under the SembCorp Marine umbrella, is the modification and lengthening of trailing suction hopper dregder, W.D. Fairway from Boskalis Westminster. This job calls for the fabrication of a new 4,000t mid-body, which would lengthen the vessel by 54m. The dredger?s piping, electrical cables and hydraulic systems for bottom doors and dredging equipment is also undergoing major modification work. Upon completion next year, W.D. Fairway?s hopper capacity would increase from 23.3m3 to 33.5m3, making it the world largest dredger.

Passenger ships are another claimed forte. In April, the yard completed the refurbishment and conversion of passenger ship Dream 21 from Discoverer Reederei GmbH, Germany. The job involved the complete renewal of all cabin toilets, conversion of existing conference rooms and cabins into newly furnished passengers cabins. Features added to the vessel included a new galley, a restaurant, main entrance lobby, library and a new lounge. The vessel was then renamed World Discoverer.

Sembawang Shipyard has also been undertaking bedplate renewal on tankers. It carried out its first bedplate and “A” frame renewal project in April 2000 on 143,750 dwt tanker Star Ohio.

Said the company: “Critical considerations on this job included how the main engine bedplate should be removed from the ship without destabilising the ship?s hull, and how all the heavy machinery items and equipment should be handled to minimise lifting operations.”

Following the success of this job, other tankers have sailed into Sembawang Shipyard for similar work. Among them were Venus Glory, Neptune Glory and Myrina.