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by Greg Trauthwein For more than a quarter of a century Grandweld has built its portfolio of new- build (both steel and aluminum) con- struction, repair and conversion. Last year, however, was one of the most chal- lenging in company history. “We have just finished a challenging year,” said Jamal S. Abki, General Man- ager. “Demand was generally slow, and banks were hesitant to lend. We had a sit- uation where we had to attention our ca- pacity and workforce. Generally, I believe shipbuilding is get- ting back on track, but slowly,” Abki con- tinued. “It will continue to be challenging, but we see movement. I ex- pect that ship repair will pick up as well.” The company built 30 steel boats in 2010, and currently it is building 15 ves- sels, with five more in the planning stage. While the majority of its new construc- tion activities are centered on the offshore industry , it is a diverse organization able to build custom or off-the-shelf deigns, assisting when required with its extensive in-house engineering capability. While 2010 was tough, 2011 and be- yond is looking much brighter according to Abki. “This year we are happier as we can see a gradual improvement from both the banks and the clients. We also are see- ing a bigger move offshore.” Part of the plan to expand to accommodate the re- gion’s growing offshore business is open- ing shop at the delayed Dubai Maritime City (DMC) complex. According to Abki, the permit and licensing phase is complete and the company is at the con- tract stage to build facilities, for which the company has in reserve $17m for starting up operations at DMC. The orig- inal plan was to close the Jadaf facility, but the plan now is to keep Jadaf running and to open shop at DMC. Grandweld– like many yards of its size globally – often finds itself pitted in fierce price wars, particularly against Chinese yards, according to Abki. Grandweld is able to fall back on its full array of shipyard services. “We invest a lot in our engineering and design,” said Abki, stressing the inherent value in qual- ity construction, particularly for critical offshore industry operations. Of its 1500 employees, 100 are dedicated to the de- sign department. The company offers a total engineering solution, from custom designs to the latest in advanced software solutions, including ShipConstructor, Au- toShip, Maxsurf, and Primavera, to name a few. In addition, Grandweld has a spe- cial relationship with Caterpillar in that the majority of the new construction ves- sels are outfitted with a complete Cater- pillar power kit, which opens the advantage of finance through the indus- trial giant as well. CONVERSION & REPAIR Established in 1984, as part of the GMMOS Group (a portfolio company of Abraaj Capital and Waha Capital), Dubai-based Grandweld employs more than 1500 in running separate ship build- ing, ship repair, and ship Conversion di- visions. The company offers complete in- house design, construction and commissioning capability, and is profi- cient in working with more than a few vessel types, including: Anchor Handling Tug; Multi-Purpose supply Vessels; Dive Support Vessels; Platform Supply Ves- sels; Terminal/Harbor/Escort/Salvage Tugs; Accommodation Barges; Utility vessels; Construction vessels; and Well stimulation vessels. In addition, the com- pany is diverse in that it offers a capabil- ity to build aluminum vessels, both to custom and in-house design. In total, Abki anticipates an 80/20% new con- struction versus vessel repair business break in 2011. Grandweld has been quite busy with execution of challenging conversion proj- ects for CGG Veritas and Seacor Marine. The CGG Veritas project consisted of conversion of six offshore supply vessels into Seismic Survey Vessels viz. two Gunboats and three cable boats and one workshop vessel. The job included fabri- cation and installation of aft slipway structure in afloat condition and installing containerized offices, cable winches, gun winches, compressors, hydraulic power packs, generators, oil storage containers, workbenches and stainless steel cable chutes. The Seacor Marine project involved ad- dition of a fully equipped accommoda- tion module for 14 persons with cabins, mess room, galley, a walk in freezer 54 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News FEATURE MIDDLE EAST Grandweld Making its Move to Dubai Maritime City Grandweld is a diverse ship construction and repair facility situated in Dubai, able to build both steel and alumimun construction boats. Left is Bourbon Yack, BP 100-Ton ASD Tug and right Al Bahar, a 36m Utility Vessel (Photo: Grandweld) (Photo: Gr eg T rauthwein) (Photo: Grandweld) Dubai Maritime City, buoyed by a recovery economy, is starting to see maritime activities perk up.
