Oman Drydock inks pact with Turkish shipyard

Oman Drydock Company (ODC), which operates and manages one of the region’s largest ship repair and maintenance yards at Duqm, has announced the signing of a partnership agreement with leading Turkish shipyard TOR Group — a move that will support the former’s ambitions to add shipbuilding to its range of capabilities. Istanbul-based TOR Group, a family owned business first established in 1880, has investments spanning the shipbuilding and maritime repair business chain. Its flagship investment is the Torgem Shipyard featuring multiple piers, slipways, fabrication workshops, and an outfitting and repair quay. It has so far over 100 newbuildings to its name, including a number of tugboats, fast patrol boats, various port service vessels, and diving vessels. In a post on social media, ODC — part of Asyad Group —said the partnership agreement with TOR Group will help “fulfil new-build requests” from the government and private sectors. “This partnership agreement adds to ODC’s portfolio of business, which include but are not limited to, the following shipbuilding projects in the shipyard: Tugboats, Oil Recovery Vessels, Fish Trawlers, Work Boats, Pilot Boats, Barges, Floating Docks, and Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs),” it noted. Since it was brought into operation in 2011, the wholly government-owned yard has so far received over 900 vessels of all types for dry-docking and maintenance repairs. As many as 176 vessels were handled last year — a number projected to rise to an average of 200 ships annually on the back of an aggressive marketing effort by the company. Of late, the yard has ramped up its capabilities to offer a range of value-added services to ship-owners bringing their vessels for dry-docking and repairs. Notable is the fabrication and installation of on-board scrubbers and ballast water systems designed to help ships meet their emission and effluent control requirements. Additionally, the yard has strongly promoted its ability to build platforms, upgrade the topsides of offshore rigs and jack-up rigs, and undertake conversions for FPSOs, and storage units of offshore platforms. CONRAD PRABHU @conradprabhu