Ship Building and Repair

khaleej times special supplement

‘Full steam ahead!’

Smooth sailing The shipbuilding and repair sector in the UAE is making its mark with challenging projects and also recording growth amid global economic slowdown Jamila K. Qadir

T

he global economic slowdown, which significantly reduced the shipping traffic, has not affected the shipbuilding and repair business in the UAE and this sector continues to record growth.

For instance, refurbishment, conversion and new building facilities work worth $3.3 million are being carried out on semisubmersible crane vessel Hermod at Drydocks World, one of the region’s largest ship repair facilities. The ship belongs to the Dutch company Heerema Marine Contractors, a service provider in the offshore oil and gas industry. It is 154 metres long and 86 metres wide and is one of the largest in operation.

“We are confident that with proven technical capabilities and our new streamlined production process, we will be able to achieve significant value addition to challenging projects of this nature. Our longstanding valuable experience and technical competence is a constant draw for projects of a sophisticated nature and our repair and refurbishment abilities have been widely acknowledged around the globe. We have built a commendable list of clientele, which we plan to expand during

the course of the year,” said Khamis Juma Buamim, Chairman of Drydocks World and Maritime World.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Ship Building recently launched “Al Dhafraa”, the third warship for the UAE Navy. The ship, which is part of the multibillion-dirham Baynunah Corvette Class Programme, is now over 70 per cent complete, a significant milestone by naval shipbuilding standards for vessels at the launch stage.

Homaid Al Shemmari, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Ship Building, said that the Baynunah Corvette Class Programme was great achievement for the company in terms of shipbuilding capabilities and maritime technology.

He said it was important to maintain such world-class shipbuilding expertise within the region to take full advantage of the highly strategic location of the GCC in general and the UAE in particular.

“We are confident that this project will help open more opportunities for Abu Dhabi Ship Building and the UAE Navy to collaborate on other important projects in the future,” he said.

Elcome International LLC

New markets and products to boldly meet the future

Latha Krishnan

Elcome International has been a leading player in the marine industry for more than four decades and has justly gained the reputation of being an innovative, reliable and high-quality system integrator, distributor, installer and after-sales service agent of marine products, systems and solutions.

Different types of ships including commercial vessels, yachts, naval vessels, coast guard, police vessels and others are recipients of the Elcome expertise in technology and service solutions.

The company also supplies land-based systems for marine applications such as coastal surveillance, harbour protection,

vessel traffic management systems, etc.

Among more than 40 principals for its varied portfolio Elcome’s long-term partners are Sperry Marine, world-leading supplier of navigation, communication, information and automation systems and Thrane & Thrane, the premier manufacturer of radio and satellite communication equipment for the shipping industry.

“This past year has been good for us, as we experienced good and positive growth mainly in areas such as maintenance and services for the products of our main partners and marketing of safety equipment. This reflects the trend of industry players maintaining infrastructure by updating existing equipment more than

investing in new ones as well as responding to safety regulations being enforced stringently,” informs Jimmy K. Grewal, Executive Director of Elcome International LLC. In the past year, Elcome has set up the first full-fledged assembly line dedicated to the assembling of distribution panels and electrical switchboards for marine vessels with the brand name Elsys and delivered the first set to a shipyard in Dubai for a new ship taking shape.

Further, the company is actively exploring several other opportunities within the UAE for new ships being built here.

Geographic expansion outward from the UAE is another growth strategy of Elcome, which it has begun by setting up a subsidiary in India called Navicom Technologies. It now supplies its products and service experience and proficiency to that country. The expansion drive continues to target other countries that have ship repair opportunities such as Seychelles, the Caspian, Iraq and the African market.

“We are expecting higher growth this year and we are earnestly preparing for 2013-14 when the marine industry will be further stimulated by new regulations for safety, efficiency and environmental solutions and we will be ready to supply our customers everything to comply with those regulations,” adds Grewal.

It has been quite a year for Exalto Emirates. On July 1, 2010 the company moved into its new premises on Kalba Road in Sharjah after having been in the original location since the founding in 1993. The new office building includes a 1,000-square metre warehouse, modern offices and showroom and is now home to the Exalto Emirates team and the GCC’s largest stock of marine parts and equipment. In addition to the re-location the company has nearly doubled its staff as well as significantly increased inventories.

Furthermore the workshop facility in Jaddaf, Dubai Dry Dock, has been revamped and the service team has been significantly strengthened. All this in a continuous effort by the management to provide nothing but the best service to the customer. The company strongly believes that providing good service, a

HEMPEL:

great quality product at a competitive price all delivered with a smile will result in long lasting relationships with the region’s boat builders, ship yards and fleet owners.

The company supplies a very wide range of mechanical and electrical components to both the commercial marine and pleasure marine industry. As especially the commercial boat builders require class approval on many of their projects Exalto Emirates has ensured that many of their products can be supplied with type approval. From anchor windlasses to battery chargers and navigation lights to propellers. Manufacturers of international repute that Exalto Emirates has recently joined up with, are Tecnicomar the Italian manufacturer of watermakers and sewage treatment plants, and Wesmar USA a well-known producer of hydraulic and electric bow

thrusters up to 500HP, fin stabilisers and sonar equipment.

Exalto Emirates General Manager John Paul says that after a few difficult years he feels optimistic about the future of the UAE marine market, which is already evident in the increased number of vessels being built by the local builders.

Furthermore he states: “We have made many improvements in the company and there are many more exciting new developments to come, hold on to your hat and full steam ahead!”

Fuel-saving products

It’s now possible to take advantage of the fuel-saving benefits of Hempasil X3, even if your vessel is coated with a traditional antifouling product. Hempel’s new Hempasil Nexus X-Seal is the fastest and cheapest way to upgrade your old antifouling system to the environmentally friendly, fuel-saving technology Hempasil X3, without full blasting the hull. A newly patented tie-coat from Hempel is set to change how the shipping industry views fouling release coatings. As the industry increasingly looks to realise the fuel-saving benefits of silicone coatings such as Hempasil X3, Nexus X-Seal gives ship owners the freedom to upgrade from conventional antifouling to fouling release — with fewer coats and without the extra cost of full blasting.

Knock two days off your drydock time: For ships with conventional antifouling coatings, converting to Hempasil X3 can be a costly and time-consuming process. Due to the non-stick properties of silicone, applying fouling release coatings on top of antifouling means either fully blasting the ship’s hull and building up the system from scratch, or using a two-coat system with an epoxy-type link coat and a tie-coat beneath the silicone.

But that is about to change. Nexus X-Seal makes it possible to apply fouling release on top of an aged antifouling coating without full blasting and with only one coat to seal the old antifouling system and make a strong link to the X3 topcoat.

This means that Nexus X-Seal can knock approximately two days off the vessel’s drydock time compared to a vessel undergoing full basting, saving the vessel’s

owner up to $400,000 in surface preparation, application expenses, dock rent and vessel inactivity.

New technology gives a robust system: Nexus X-Seal forms a long-lasting bond between the antifouling coating and the silicone topcoat, and it has undergone extensive testing to ensure that its properties and performance match the needs of shipowners. Nexus X-Seal is an epoxy-polysiloxane tie-coat that can be used directly on top of old antifouling, which provides excellent compatibility with physically drying antifouling coatings and at the same time gives outstanding adhesion to the Hempasil X3 topcoat.

More customers can now benefit from Hempasil X3: With Nexus X-Seal, Hempel has removed the cost and time barriers that previously stopped many shipping companies from converting to fouling release coatings. Nexus X-Seal gives shipowners the freedom to choose the best fouling control product for their vessels meaning that even more companies will now opt for reduced fuel bills and lower CO2 emissions with Hempasil X3.

How to get Hempasil X3 for your fleet: Hempel now offers a complete range of products for applying Hempasil X3 under different scenarios.

What is the best option for your fleet? For vessels that require full blasting. If your vessel’s hull has been recoated several times, a full blasting to remove all the aged coatings would be a good investment. This means building a new epoxy system, followed by Hempel’s

patented tie-coat Hempasil Nexus and the Hempasil X3 topcoat. Although this solution requires a relatively high initial investment, it results in a very smooth topcoat to ensure you get the highest fuel-saving potential — and with this solution you can also opt for Hempel’s fuelsaving guarantee.

For vessels coated with Hempasil X3 or other fouling release topcoats. Hempel recently launched Nexus X-Tend for recoating vessels with an existing fouling release topcoat. Nexus X-Tend is designed to be used in repair and touch-up areas and creates a strong link to all the substrates in an old fouling release system. The fast repair procedure is an inexpensive, simple and efficient way to extend the lifetime of your fouling release coating by five extra years.

For vessels coated with antifouling If you want to upgrade your vessel from antifouling to fouling release, Nexus X-Seal is the cheapest and fastest solution. Nexus X-Seal enables you to avoid full blasting, it requires only one tie-coat to seal your old antifouling coating, and provides a strong link to the fouling release topcoat. This system has a lower initial investment than a full blast solution, but as the average hull roughness is higher, the fuel-saving potential must be expected to be lower.

applied to more than

6000

vessels

We believe our world leading antifouling technology is the reason Jotun U.A.E. Ltd (L.L.C.) P.O. Box 3671, Dubai, U.A.E. Tel: +9714 3395000 Fax: +9714 3380666 Csdmarine.Dubai@jotundxb.ae jotun.com

52519 2011 SeaQuantum 260mm H x 163mm W.indd 1

11/07/2011 14:22

Dolphin Radiators & Cooling Systems L.L.C.

Dolphin advantage!

DolphIN Radiators & Cooling Systems L.L.C., pioneers in the heat transfer industry, was established in 1986 and it is a UAE-based company that specialises in heat exchanger repair, maintenance and new-built units.

Dolphin has been appointed sole distributor for ‘RYDLYME’, the world’s leading biodegradable descaler for the UAE and Oman.

Dolphin has been serving the marine industry for more than 20 years. It is located in Sharjah with offices in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Dubai, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. Dolphin regularly attends to jobs in anchorages and ports in Dubai, Northern Emirates and Abu Dhabi. In addition to this service, Dolphin provides riding crews to carry out heat exchanger repairs, while the ship is in transit. It has a fully equipped workshop that can either repair, clean, overhaul and even supply new the following units: • Plate Heat Exchangers Chemical circulation cleaning with ‘RYDLYME’; Individual cleaning and regasketing of plates; New plate supply; Complete service / installation of PHE; They are the sole agents for ‘Paul Mueller Aqua-therm’ PHE

• Shell & Tube Type Heat Exchangers (condenser, oil + water cooler, FWG cargo heaters); Chemical circulation with ‘RYDLYME’; HP water jetting / ‘quick shot’ tube cleaning /rigid & rigid lance tube cleaning; Full re-tubing service; Hydro or Nitrogen pressure testing; Complete newly-built Shell and tube units; • Charge Air Coolers; Ultrasonic cleaning; Blocked tube water drilling; Leak repair, tube plugging; New manufacturing • Dolphin Radiators also has HVAC and ASME divisions that can serve the shipping industry and supplement the Heat Exchanger Services Division.

• Dolphin Air Conditioning Division has dedicated personnel who regularly visit ships and carry out all types of work from leak repair to complete overhaul and replacement of chiller systems. They also change AHU coils with the minimum of downtime because of ready access to bespoke manufactured coils.

• Dolphin Heat Transfer (DHT) is an accredited manufacturer of high-pressure heat exchangers and vessels and is licensed to work under ASME ‘U’, ‘S’ and National Board of Boiler & Pressure Ves-

Jotun:Coated with reliability Jotun’s Hull Performance Solutions offers shipowners and managers who purchase Jotun’s silyl methacrylate SeaQuantum X200 a money back guarantee if the antifouling coating fails to deliver less than 1.5 per cent speed loss or a maximum 4.5 per cent increase in fuel consumption over a 60 months dry-docking interval.

The Jotun Hull Performance Solutions (HPS) guarantee is calculated on a transparent measurement and analysis tool. The measurement tool combines information from torsion meters, speed through water, wind and draft, isolating the impact of hull and antifouling coatings on fuel consumption. Once logged, the data is analysed to calculate the hull condition, creating a new standard in hull performance analysis.

Bjorn Wallentin, Jotun Marine’s Global Sales Director HPS, says that HPS was developed in part to help shipowners and managers make sense of different claims made by marine coatings suppliers. “There is a lot of information out there, and with different marine coatings suppliers offering guarantees based on different metrics and over different time periods, we recognised a demand for a truly transparent and independent methodology to calculate hull and fuel performance over time,” he says.

“We wanted to offer a guarantee based on a methodology that was every bit as good as SeaQuantum X200.”

Jotun has identified four significant factors that contribute to hull performance.

Some improve hull performance, while others contribute to speed loss.

Wallentin explains that some marine coatings suppliers base their guarantees on hull performance before and shortly after docking. “Timing is important, because hull performance will improve dramatically after blasting and recoating — regardless of what marine coating system is applied,” he says. “Our focus is the period between dockings, when it is the performance of the coatings system in operation that counts and not the hull treatment at the yard.”

In a study conducted by the independent Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute (Marintek), the average speed loss for the industry is calculated at five per cent for the 60 months lifetime of an antifouling coating. By calculating the extra fuel required to maintain speed over time, the figure equates to an approximately 15 per cent increase in fuel consumption. Jotun’s guarantee is based on maximum average speed loss of 1.5 per cent over 60 months.

Jotun tracks the performance over a period of three to 12 months, beginning when the vessel exits the dry dock, to establish benchmark performance. Each day measurements will be collected, and any deviation from the post-docking benchmark will be logged. These deviations will be averaged and compared with the maximum average speed loss at the end of each year. A comprehensive summary will be delivered to the owner or charterer annually and at the end of the guarantee period.

High performance guarantee Based on this long-term post-docking data, Jotun will guarantee a maximum av-

sel ‘R’ and ‘NB’ stamps.

• Based in Ajman, DHT has a fully-equipped workshop that can manufacture virtually any heat exchanger and has full CNC production back-up equipment.

• Dolphin keeps on hand a large usable stock of all types of tubes (Alu.Brass, Cu/ Ni 70/30, Cu/Ni 90/10, copper & CS) and a large selection of titanium plates to suit various plate heat exchanger types.

• Dolphin also has its own manufacturing division which manufactures for the after sales market, air-cooled radiators and oil coolers, braking friction material and AC, HVAC replacement coils in either aluminum or copper fins.

• In addition to the above assets, the company’s senior management team and technicians have the necessary experience and flexibility to ensure that each and every job is attended to with the right tools and equipment to ensure that our work is completed in time.

• Dolphin can attend any job on any ship at any time and it can resolve any heat exchanger problems and also ensure that the ship departs on schedule. erage (additional) speed loss for the lifetime of the solution. In the event that the actual performance average falls below the guaranteed hull performance, Jotun will compensate the owner with a guarantee related to the total antifouling system cost.

On larger vessels this could represent a significant rebate.

Transparency is the key Wallentin acknowledges that the solution and guarantee may not be attractive for all vessels and all trades, but that the methodology behind HPS serves as a useful tool for all owners and charterers seeking improved data on hull performance. “What makes HPS unique is that the process is fully transparent,” says Wallentin. “Owners and charterers will have access to the hull performance data throughout the guarantee period. Instead of a snapshot of vessel performance after dry docking, they get the full picture.”

At present, Jotun is working with the Norwegian class society Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to verify the HPS system. “Our methodology takes some of the mystery and the marketing out of the marine coatings industry,” says Wallentin. “We believe the industry will welcome a more transparent and verifiable tool, which can help them make sense of all the often confusing claims, data and guarantees offered by competing coating suppliers.”

A new market standard for hull performance. Wallentin welcomes constructive feedback from all interested parties to help fine-tune Jotun’s data collection and analysis methods. “We believe that it is in everyone’s interest to develop and introduce a hull performance standard.”

Save Now. Save Later.

The revolutionary new HEMPASIL Nexus X-Seal tiecoat is the fastest, most cost-effective way to upgrade from your conventional antifouling to HEMPASIL X3. For more information see www.hempel.com or contact your local sales offi ce.