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March 2011 www.marinelink.com 39 welders, and skilled employees and facilities for mechanical work, such as engine room work, work on cargo handling equipment, cargo piping, blast- ing, painting, work on thrusters, fin stabilizers, rud- ders and propellers. "Regarding very large lifetime extension projects we are still careful. We want to be assured that we can keep full control of the project with the re- sources we have and that our clients receive a good service." The yard has been asked to do large drill- ship conversions. Rotkirch notes the yard would manage everything regarding the vessel but the drilling technology, often the largest share in the project, would have to be outsourced. "This makes it demanding for us to control the entire project, why we have to be very careful," he says. In a larger cruise ship project, for example a cruise ship lengthening, the yard would cooperate with a new- building yard and through an organisation set up for the purpose together with the client. "We are still a repair yard with a limited own design capac- ity," Rotkirch says. He reveals that this year and next year the yard focuses on further developing its productivity and reliability, in order to be able to take on even bigger projects with improved mar- gins. "We are perhaps not most competitive in large steel work dominated projects, but more local shipowners needing access to advanced sub-sup- plies, they come to us. Our cost level is competitive against repair yards in the US, meaning we have started to receive also US customers, even though US flagged ships have to pay a duty due to the Jones Act customs regulations," Rotkirch notes. A recent project include the lifetime extensions of two Maersk-owned vessels in the US Military Sealift Command’s Prepositioning Program, MV LTC John U.D. Page, which was refurbished last summer, with quite much steelwork and engine room work. The second vessel, SSG Edward A. Carter, Jr., is to be refurbished this spring. "This was a definite break-through for us." "My feeling is that year 2011 will be a good year for us. Everything that we have done and improved regarding training and working productively at the yard is starting to bear fruit. This can today be seen at the yard," Rotkirch reflects. Carnival Freedom & Emerald Princess in the shipyard.
