New composite horizons ABG Group

Campbell Bay passenger vessel at WISL jetty

NEW COMPOSITE HORIZONS

Western India Shipyard Ltd (WISL) is part of India’s largest shipping and rig repair company, the ABG Group. Philip Yorke talked to Cmdr S.J. Mutreja, the company’s CEO, about its investment in a new rig repair platform and recent opportunities for growth in the repair and service of composite military vessels.

AS India’s largest composite ship and rig repair facility in the private sector, WISL is one of the world’s most advanced multi-dimensional and multi-purpose yards. WISL offers modern and efficient ship and rig repair and industrial services on a large scale. The range of services offered by the shipyard covers every aspect of ship and rig repair services for all types of vessels. These include bulk carriers, liners, cargo vessels, LPG carriers, dredgers, drill ships and passenger vessels. This is in addition to

Three rigs under repair at Western India Shipyard

Pollution control vessel - Samudra Prahari

providing repair services for oil and chemical tankers and naval and coastguard vessels. Offshore service vessels (OSVs) and jack-uprigs are also catered for.

The company’s stated mission is to offer world-class ship repair services and products by integrating advanced repair processes. This is accomplished by utilising professional, streamlined operations in order to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Since the company was established in 1994 it has achieved the highest number of ‘turnarounds’ on the Indian subcontinent, with over 300 vessels being serviced or repaired by the Western India Shipyard Limited.

World class facilities

WISL has the distinction of being the only shipyard offering full ship and rig repair services with dual accreditation, having been certified to ISO 9001:2008 by BVQI and IRQs. The company’s state-of-the-art floating dry dock “Westerner” is located at the WISL shipyard in Goa and has a capacity to repair ships of up to 60,000 tons dwt and to accommodate vessels of up to 225m in length and 32.5m high. This ‘model’ WISL Shipyard was developed in collaboration with the world’s leading shipyard architects and designers with functionality at the centre of its conception. This modern yard is covered by a wide range of lift and carry facilities supplied by Portal/EOT/FDD as well as a variety of mobile cranes.

The efficient layout of the shipyard means that repair schedules are kept to a minimum, saving both time and money for WISL’s cus-

Western India Shipyard aerial view

tomers. The yard also offers optimum lifting and transportation facilities and all workshops are centrally located in relation to the dry docks and repair jetties. The WISL yard is also strategically located at Mormungao Port Goa along the west coast of India.

Mutreja said, “Our underwater repair facilities, dry docks and mandatory inspection services are amongst the best in the world and although around 80 per cent of our customers are based in India, a growing number are from overseas. Shipping companies from Greece, Singapore and Dubai are frequent users of our facilities here in Goa. We are continually investing in new technology and services and are currently installing a new floating dock which, after receiving the necessary approvals should be fully operational within the next 5–6 months.”

Mr Mutreja added, “We are seeing strong organic growth in our services but are open to making acquisitions should the right opportunity arise. The most exciting opportunity for growth at the present time is the prospect of work from the defence sector and we are currently doing major repair work on a naval offshore vessel. As a result of our success in this region we anticipate that we should be getting some long-term work from this source. Most of our work is carried out on quick turnaround servicing projects which take approximately 40–45 days, but we are also looking at a requirement by one of our customers, ONDC, for conversion of their drilling units. As we currently repair and service drilling rigs, and could therefore extend our support our such production units. Today we believe that we can offer

the best technical support anywhere in the world and we constantly upgrade our technology and equipment whenever possible.”

An ideal ship repair partner

WISL works in close association with its customers to offer the best solutions at the most competitive price and subscribes to the 5E’s principle: Efficiency, Expertise, Excellence, Efficacy and Esteem.

This on-going commitment to customer service is backed up by a comprehensive range of services that cover the entire spectrum of marine engineering repair services. This includes routine maintenance and damage repair, cargo hold/tank blasting and coating, main engine overhaul and rudder repairs. In addition the company offers propeller and tail shaft repair, derrick boom overhaul and major conversions and modifications. Highly specialised heating coil tests and electric works are also undertaken.

Technical excellence is the cornerstone of WISL and it is applied across all its diverse services and operations. This is underscored by the list of marine companies who rely on the WISL Shipyard’s expertise. These include the Dredging Corporation of India, the Indian Navy, Great Eastern Shipping, ONGC, Ambuja Cements, Mercator Shipping and Ballast Medan among many others. WISL supports the education and training of its skilled workforce and has drawn up a set of training priorities for its engineers and managers on the latest quality systems to ensure that optimum results and service is achieved for every project. n

Machine shop - Western india Shipyard

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P.BOX NO-197,OFF. C-3/4, VASCO RESIDENCY, VASCO-DA-GAMA, GOA 403 802. Tel : Off: +91 832 2515178, Fax : +91 832 2511678, Mobile No. +91 9823199678. E-mail: sukamalbunker@dataone.in/sukamaltraders@rediffmail.com