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Oman Drydock inks pact with S’porean shipyard

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MUSCAT , AUG 19 - In line with its ambitions to expand and diversify its international business, Oman Drydock Company (ODC) — which owns and operates the Sultanate’s only ship repair yard at Duqm — signed at the weekend a partnership agreement with a prominent Singapore-based shipyard.


Global Offshore & Marine Pte Ltd (GOM), part of the well-diversified GlobalOne Group of Companies, is one of three international engineering partners identified by ODC as key to its long-term goal of adding new market segments to its portfolio of ship repair and maintenance services.


Billed as a boutique shipyard, GOM is a one-stop turnkey project specialist providing integrated services to the offshore and marine industry. The company, established in 2006, operates from a 44,000 sq metre prime waterfront with a 200-metre quayside from where it undertakes a wide range of turnkey projects, including structural steel fabrication, piping and electrical work, marine accommodation systems, living quarter modules, electrical houses and process modules.


Welcoming the pact with GOM, Dr Ahmed al Abri (pictured), ODC’s Deputy CEO — Operations, said: “This is very significant indeed, as it places Oman Drydock in a strong technical position to acquire a share of the offshore repairs market. Having renowned and committed engineering partners is essential for Oman Drydock’s next phase of growth.”

Similar pacts are also due to be inked with two other international players in the coming months, he said. Together with GOM, the new partnerships will help wholly government-owned ODC diversify its service offerings to encompass the dry-docking and maintenance of all kinds of crafts and structures. This includes submersibles and semi-submersibles, structures for underwater operations, specialized sea and subsea vehicles, offshore structures, dredgers and so on — vessels and structures that are proposed to be handled for the first time at the Duqm facility.


The pact with GOM, Dr Al Abri explained, will enable ODC to exploit the Singapore yard’s strategic location, expansive facilities and years of maritime experience to help diversify the company’s operations.


“GOM, as a specialized engineering entity, will complement the huge facility and technical capacity of ODC to take on various types of offshore projects. ODC has been acknowledged as an increasingly reliable performer in shop repairs, and the next stage of our growth is to take on more complex, high value projects.”


In addition to providing engineering supervisory support, the new partners will also be involved in the joint marketing of ODC’s state-of-the-art ship repair yard. The Duqm facility not only has the capacity and technical wherewithal to handle an upturn in orders, but also the human resources to deliver on this new business, the official added.


GOM also specialises in the complete refurbishment and upgrading works for drilling rigs and drill ships, FPSO conversion projects, ship repair and modification works and outfitting of pipe-laying and accommodation barges.


Conrad Prabhu


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