Brest yard re-establishes itself in LNG carrier market

The Teekay-owned and managed LNG carrier Arctic Spirit arrived at Damen Shiprepair Brest, as the yard is now known, in early February for a three-week stay. This ship is the third LNG carrier docked by Brest, and is one of the few LNG carriers with an IHI SPB prismatic cargo containment system, which, according to the yard, makes it a somewhat special and highly complex vessel.

MD Jos Goris said: “We are very pleased and proud that an industry major such as Teekay has proven confidence in our yard.” In 2012, Shell and Hyproc chose to dry-dock LNG carriers at the yard.

“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,” added Mr Goris.

According to Mr Goris, before the Sobrena shipyard closed in September 2011 it had carried out more than 100 LNG carrier refit projects. He says that he is confident that Damen Shiprepair Brest can continue to show the LNG community that the shipyard has the expertise and experience needed to serve this specialist sector. After Sobrena closed, said Mr Goris, there has been hardly 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 added. “We are very confident that the LNG community will support us with more bookings and at sustainable price levels. 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.

Meanwhile, Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen is undertaking a complete overhaul of three-masted, steel-hulled Clipper Stad Amsterdam. The work on the 13-year-old ship is scheduled to finish during May 2013, and includes removal and replacement of all interiors, plus overhaul and replacement, if necessary, of technical equipment and renewal of standing rigging.

According to MD of the Clipper Stad Amsterdam shipping company Roland Berendsen: “The vessel sails without interruption 365 days a year over the oceans. Sea, sun, salt and wind have left their traces. Next to an annual regular maintenance period, we’ve chosen one big, radical revamp giving the vessel a second youth. Hereafter she sails again for ten to fifteen years.’’

The ship, jointly owned by the city of Amsterdam and HR agency Randstad, was originally built by Damen at its Oranjewerf in Amsterdam. “That makes it especially nice that we were asked for this revamp,” says Bas Loohuis, commercial manager for Damen Shiprepair & Conversion.

The removal of the interior resulted in 175t of waste, while some 123t of lead ballast has been removed also. The hull will be blasted, and hull sheets renewed where required. The reconstruction will be carried out in the production hall, and will include renewal of almost all pipes and wiring. At the same time the boarding of the superstructure will be renewed. Originally the boarding was glued to the superstructure, but that caused difficulties with maintenance. The new boarding will be mounted with some clearance onto the superstructure for proper ventilation.

During the revamp only the three steel lower masts will stay in place. The top masts and spars will be removed, maintained and replaced. All standing rigging wires will be renewed. The navigation bridge and chartroom is being redesigned and up-to-date equipment installed. Below deck the crew mess and office are redesigned and two cabins converted to additional storage space.

The refurbished ship is scheduled for sea trials in mid-May 2013, and she will set sail for Rouen, France in June.