With customers across more than 50 countries, Lisnave maintains a global presence in the shipping maintenance and repair sector. The shipyard provides a comprehensive range of services including steelwork, piping, electricals, machinery, turbocharger and propeller repairs, propulsion systems, cleaning, painting, retrofits, upgrades, and conversions. Commercial Director Luis Braga explained more to Hannah Barnett.
ASa shipyard, Lisnave has numerous advantages.
The company offers firstclass ship repair facilities, an optimal geographic location, fair and mild weather conditions and a wealth of experience to customers worldwide.
The facilities in Mitrena, Portugal, contain six drydocks and eight alongside berths which can simultaneously accommodate a substantial number of vessels of various sizes. This large capacity affords the company the flexibility to adapt to changes in arrival dates, ensuring a smooth service for customers.
“We stand out thanks to three things: flexibility, quality and delivery time,” said Luis Braga, Commercial Director.
“Our skilled labour force, combined with our team of over 30 project managers, ensures that all requested services are delivered promptly with the highest quality. The dedicated team is available 365 days a year to meet our clients’ needs efficiently.”
The company also plays an economically significant role in its location, providing jobs for nearly 500 in-house employees and subcontracting locally to over 2,000 individuals.
Recent developments
Lisnave is the kind of the company the keeps evolving and 2023 marked a “busy and challenging period,” according to Mr Braga.
2023 saw company turnover reaching €168 million, a significant increase compared to the previous year. This growth occurred despite a reduction in the number of vessels repaired (76 compared to 90 in 2022) and is attributable to the numerous upgrade projects undertaken.
Indeed, the year was filled with valuable and innovative projects, featuring several vessel upgrades including bulbous bow renewals, cold ironing retrofits and duct installations. Notably, Lisnave also successfully converted a bulk carrier into a juice tanker.
“That was a very interesting project,” Mr Braga explained. “The job consisted of installing the juice tanks, supplied by
the owner, inside the cargo holds. Then we had to do all the supports, the pipelines and the cooling lines all over the ship. This also included electrical installation, sensors and instrumentation , plus some other modifications. It was quite challenging.”
Lisnave already completed a similar conversion project for two vessels back in 2020. On that occasion, the company was not required to do the piping and electrical installation because the vessels arrived with those modifications already completed. So, this more recent project marked a significant step forward in the demonstration of the company’s skills and capabilities.
Facility upkeep
In 2023, Lisnave also proudly became a member of the Green Marine Europe Programme, which certifies the
environmental performance of leading shipyards, ports and shipowners. Additionally, the company successfully obtained a Safety Management System Certification in accordance with ISO45001.
Another significant milestone was the reorganisation of the company’s structure and the creation of a Facility Director position. The new management role is responsible, among other things, for ensuring the shipyard’s equipment and infrastructure remains in optimal performance conditions in terms of safety, operation and the environment.
“It is an important role,” said Mr Braga. “The shipyard itself is 50 years old and, of course, equipment needs maintenance, so we think keeping the facility in good shape is key. Maintenance and investments go together, so we have created this
position to give more importance to the continuation of the good condition of the shipyard. The Facility Director ensures that everything is working properly, so that the operations can use the shipyard to be able to perform accordingly.”
The power of partnership
In September, Lisnave will send delegates to SMM, the world-leading maritime event in Hamburg. The prestigious show presents a valuable opportunity to engage with existing, and prospective, clients and partners. Operationally, it also allows the company to explore innovative technical solutions and providers that can enhance the Lisnave competitive edge.
“In terms of exhibitions, our commercial policy is there are three exhibitions that are a must for us: Posidonia, Nor-Shipping
and SMM,” Mr Braga explained. “The difference between SMM and the previous two is that it is a little bit more technical. For SMM, alongside our commercial team, we also bring colleagues from operations, because there’s a lot to see in terms of technology, service providing equipment and materials. It’s an opportunity for us to investigate what’s happening in the market in terms of technical solutions. ”
Lisnave maintains formal agreements with a substantial number of specialised local suppliers, meaning the company can respond promptly to unexpected or additional work and thus avoid delays in vessel redelivery.
The high volume of work at the shipyard fosters strong relationships with these suppliers, as it ensures a significant and consistent flow of work. “Some of our local
suppliers know the shipyard quite well,” said Mr Braga. “So, there is a long-term relationship between us and that means that processes are often more agile.”
Forward thinking
Lisnave continues to adapt to the evolving dynamics of the global market. Each segment of the company has unique characteristics, meaning it can easily anticipate and respond to trends and requests.
“We have identified specific market segments where we will focus our investments in equipment and specialised labour, ensuring we can serve these clients most effectively,” said Mr Braga. “However, ship repair will remain our core business.”
The unique nature of the ship repair business is evidently one of the things
that make working at Lisnave so exciting. Another is the high levels of technical specification and knowledge that the job demands.
“Shipyards must be exceptionally attuned to a customer needs, as shipowners and ship managers are highly knowledgeable about the technical requirements of their fleets and the capabilities of shipyards worldwide,” Mr Braga concluded. “It is one of the things that I love about working here.
“I have also recently developed a passion for sales management, something I did not have 10 or 15 years ago Engaging directly with clients, understanding their needs, collaborating on solutions and building long-term relationships with benefits for both parties is immensely rewarding. For me, this is truly a dream job.”
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