French yards hit high note

The Marseille Fos port authority is leading the way, with plans to re-open its Drydock 10 shiprepair facility which was mothballed in 2000. A renovation project valued at around €28 million is set to be completed in September 2015. The dry dock is said to be the world’s third biggest (after Lisbon and Dubai), at 465m in length and 85m wide. With Marseille an important port in the Mediterranean cruise itinerary, the revamped dock is targeted primarily at the mega-cruiseship sector, but the port authority points out that it would be highly suitable for stemming other very large ships, including container carriers, LNG tankers, bulk vessels and offshore rigs.

The dock began operation in 1975 as a VLCC repair facility, but it was closed after 25 years as the market moved east. The port authority says that by offering a repair base for large cruise ships, 65% of which operate in the Mediterranean, it can minimise ship downtime and capitalise on its position as the leading French cruise port. To accommodate the latest generation ships a new 9,100 tonne dock gate is being installed, along with refurbished electrical and pumping systems. The new gate, which represents €13.35 million of the total cost, is 87.5m long, 15m wide and 13m high, and is designed for a 50-year lifespan.

The dry dock will be operated on a 25-year franchise by a consortium of Italian shiprepairer San Giorgio del Porto, its subsidiary Chantier Naval de Marseille – which already operates two smaller drydocks at the port – and cruise ship builder Mariotti. The STX France Saint-Nazaire yard also has a commercial interest. Finance comes from the French state and two regional authorities, with the balance from the port’s own funds and a €5.9m loan from government-controlled investment body Caisse des Depots.

Dutch group Damen Shipyards has transformed the operation of two French yards, at Brest and Dunkerque, in recent years. Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque recently began a life extension project on the French research vessel, Marion Dufresne II, which arrived at Dunkerque on 14 March for four months of work including a six-week drydocking. The project is expected to extend the ship’s operational life by a further 20 years.

The multi-purpose vessel is owned by Les Terres Australes et Antarctiques Français (TAAF) and managed by CMA-CGM. Marion Dufresne II carries out oceanographic research under the responsibility of the Institut Polaire Paul-Eimile Victor (IPEV). Damen Shiprepair says it was selected to carry out the work following a competitive tendering process, and after careful consideration of the vessel’s requirements, Damen opted to carry out the work at Dunkerque in northern France.

Khalil Benjelloul, head of sales and marketing at Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque, says: “One of the major parts of the work will be the replacement of the vessel’s multi-beam sonar. For this we will scrap the existing equipment, rebuild the ship’s hull and install a new gondola and control room. Additionally, we will change the ILOT capstan (a system used to take samples) – which involves a lot of access work – install a new sewage tank, modify the air-conditioning system and renew the A-frames.”

The hull and some ballast tanks will also be blasted and repainted. The work schedule includes the vessel’s accommodation, which the yard is renewing in cooperation with the client’s subcontractor.

Operating out of the Port of La Réunion, the ship transports passengers and supplies to remote locations of scientific interest around the Indian Ocean. Much of her previous work has involved the vessel operating in the Crozet and Kerguelen Islands, in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Marion Dufresne II has accommodation capacity for 104 scientific researchers and 46 crew. Additionally, the accommodation areas of the vessel include laboratory facilities used by IPEV scientists.

Benjelloul added: “In addition to her scientific capabilities, the vessel is able to act as a supply vessel and to transport containers and fuel to remote areas.”

Following completion of the project, Marion Dufresne II will return first to La Réunion and from there will resume operating in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

Damen Shiprepair Brest has been contracted by engineering and underwater services provider Global Marine Systems to modify its cable-lay and multi-purpose offshore support vessel Wave Sentinel. The Wave Sentinel was converted from a cross-channel ferry for its present role in 1999, giving the ability to perform a variety of offshore and subsea operations.

After the modification contract was awarded, Damen Shiprepair Brest teamed up with another Damen company, Niron Staal of the Netherlands, to pre-fabricate and transport a new bulbous bow. The yard says that timing was critical as minimum production time could be lost die to the docking.

The vessel’s superintendent Timothy Lee adds: “Docking our ship at the yard in Brest is a new opportunity for us, as the distance between the UK and Brest is short and because of deviation we will save costs. We know Niron Staal for their pre-fabrication possibilities for this kind of new bulb constructions.”