Spanish repair yards buoyant

Izar Carenas, the ship repair division of the Spanish Izar Group, says 2001 was a successful year for it in the ship repair business. The group, which includes yards at Cadiz, Cartegena, Ferrol-Fene and San Fernando, repaired 385 vessels. This was split into 254 merchant ships and 151 warships. This represents a 73% drydock occupancy and revenues of 8206 million ($195 million).

The group says the trend continued into the first quarter of this year with 75 ships repaired or converted. Cadiz had a record month in January with 10 ships repaired compared with 22 for the entire first quarter. The yard notes that its repair highlights thus far this year are the conversion of the ropax ferry Corse for French owner SNCM and the conversion of the chemical carrier Castillo of Monterreal for Spain?s Empressa Naveiera Elcano in April.

Passenger ships and gas carriers have made up most of the 19 repair jobs at Ferrol-Fene in the early part of this year. Also completed were the bulk carrier Aghia Trias for World Management, chemical carriers Repect, Bow Power and Bow Viking and the tankers Borja Tapias, Sebastian L de Tejad and Campurdan.

San Fernando Shipyard repaired 11 ships in the first quarter, which included five passenger and roro ferries. The drydocking of the Spanish Navy?s four-masted sail training ship, Juan Sebastian de Elcano was also completed along with the patrol boat Acevedo and the Canarias and Barcelo.

An Izar Carenas? spokesman says that in addition to the yearly maintenance work carried out on the Juan Sebastian de Elcano, the yard carried out a major life extension project on it that consisted of the following:

l Conversion of the electrical plant from DC to AC and installing new auxiliary engines and alternators, new main switchboard and equipment

l Forecastle deck renewal including steel and wood

l New galley installation

l New crew toilets

l Upgrading of cadets accommodation areas

l Removal of solid ballast, grit blasting and painting of ballast tanks and refitting of ballast

l Upgrading of officers accommodation areas

l Checking of the four masts (completely renewed over the past years) and rigging

l General drydocking including complete shaft line overhaul.

Cartegena had a good first quarter in 2002 repairing 24 ships, which it claims is a yard record. In addition to merchant craft such as tankers, containerships, bulk carriers, general cargo ships, fishing vessels and roros and research vessels, the yard has been turning its skills to the repair and refurbishment of super yachts. Its facilities and location for any vessel on the way in or out of the Mediterranean Sea make it ideally placed.

The yard has created a dedicated yachting department where the yachts will be attended to with the highest level of skill in order to successfully complete all projects, says Leo Selter, a spokesman for the yard. “To respond to the ever more demanding time frames and standards, Izar Carenas has decided to build a shed over part of the parking area with net sizes of 128 x 31 x 28m high,” says Seter. He explains that this facility will be operational early 2003 and will be equipped with all the facilities to attend to painting projects, teak decking and refits in a controlled environment for various vessels simultaneously.

Currently the premises are being adapted to comply with the ISO 14001 rules. “For the vessels undergoing projects, ship?s offices have been made available including full services of telephone, fax and Internet connections ? for the crew a cyber office is available in the same office building, which is open 24 hours a day,” explains Selter.