MUSCAT: The launch of a new floating dock is set to boost the repair and maintenance capabilities of state-owned Asyad Drydock’s yard at Duqm on Oman’s southeast coast, a top official has revealed. Dr Ibrahim al Nadhairi, CEO of Asyad Shipping & Drydock, said the operationalization of the mid-sized floating dock will enable the handling of 40 more vessels annually to reach a new target capacity of around 240 ships, up from 200 previously.
“With its current facilities fully utilised, we invested in buying a Panamax-size floating dock, which is expected to become operational in Q2 2023 and ready to accommodate the growing global demand for the dry dock’s services. This substantial addition will allow us to manage one of the largest vessel types in circulation, from 50,000-80,000 dwt, and expand our capacity by 20 per cent,” leading energy news portal The Energy Year quoted the CEO as stating in a recent interview.
“As it stands, the dry dock is designed to service up to 200 ships per year. And thanks to the floating dock, we expect to be able to take 40 additional ones, bringing the yard’s annual repair capacity to 240 ships,” he further added in the interview.
Acquired during 2022, the floating dock is the first of a total of three that the Duqm yard is designed to accommodate as part of its long-term growth strategy. It will also complement the yard’s ambitions to develop its nascent shipbuilding capabilities with the ultimate goal of evolving into a full-fledged shipyard.
Those efforts were crystallised last year when Asyad Drydock delivered two indigenously built ships, each of less than 50 metres length, to customers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). One was fabricated from aluminium, necessitating the use of complex design and welding technologies.
“We provided an end-to-end service, taking care of the whole process from A to Z, from design to manufacturing,” said Dr Al Nadhairi.
Currently in hand for construction is a fishing trawler for Fisheries Development Oman (FDO), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oman Investment Authority (OIA). Separately, Asyad Drydock is also building a landing craft ferry equipped for passenger and vehicle transport for National Ferries Company, a subsidiary of Asyad Group.
“Our aim within this segment is to be able to locally build ships of up to 100 metres, which would mean covering naval ships for military use, Coast Guard, fishing, tugboats, etc,” the CEO stated.
Asyad Drydock also recently announced that it is weighing a landmark foray into industrial manufacturing with an eye on the mammoth opportunities linked to the supply of equipment for the mega green hydrogen schemes due to be implemented in Oman over the coming decades.
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