Prototypes a challenge, says FSG chief

“We have four prototypes in our programme”, Sierk told yard in-house publication FSG-Journal “and inside just eleven months building has to start on all of them”. He described this as “an enormous challenge” for the yard’s 725 personnel.

Mr Sierk added however “because they are prototypes, this is also one of the biggest opportunities in the 140 year history of our yard. It will mark the successful transition from series to customised newbuilding”, he said.

Mr Sierk was referring to recent orders for a con-ro ship from Oceanex, two multi-functional project load vessels for Rolldock, two offshore seismic ships for WesternGeco and a ro-pax ferry for CMAL, some for delivery from 2014. They are all either the first ships of their kind for FSG or the biggest and are far removed from the usual ro-ro ferries built by the yard in recent years.

The new work has brought employment and security to FSG but Mr Sierk cautioned against complacency. He said the next two years would be difficult and stressed

that

yard productivity must improve even further. As shipbuilding goes through a bad patch “we cannot let our guard down”, he said. “Other yards are just itching to overtake us – but we won’t let them”.

FSG has already revealed

that

talks are under way with customers on other projects and has said some are “very promising”. Observers say given recent successes, further new orders are likely, perhaps sooner rather than later, to take FSG delivery programmes beyond 2014.

The yard’s latest scheduled delivery is Ulusoy 14, due to take place this month. She is the first of two 208m ro-ro freight ferries for regular customer Ulusoy Sealines in Turkey – the longest and biggest ships of their type ever built by FSG.

There have been media reports

that

Ulusoy has requested a delay in taking delivery of their latest newbuilding. That could not be confirmed as of Tuesday, but an FSG source told

The Motorship

that

Ulusoy 14 would be delivered on 31 October 31 as contracted. Whether the ship would actually leave the yard on

that

date, however, was not yet known, the source added.