Albwardy Damen expands to SOHAR Port and Freezone

(Posted on 28/08/18)

Albwardy Damen, a joint venture providing shipbuilding and ship repair services to the marine and oil and gas related industries in the Middle East, has announced that it has launched a full range of afloat, workshop, and diving services at SOHAR Port and Freezone. Albwardy Damen is a joint venture between Albwardy Investment, Dubai and the Damen Shipyards Group, the Netherlands. Both family-owned companies with a long history.

The new SOHAR operations represents the fourth location of operations in the Middle East, adding to Albwardy Damen’s Afloat Repairs Division comprehensive workshop facilities in Dubai, Sharjah, and Fujairah.

Willem Moelker, Sales and Marketing Director, comments, “Our strategic expansion into SOHAR has been driven by demand from customers and other stakeholders. Albwardy Damen is the first ship repair company to have a presence in Oman’s rapidly growing logistics hub.

“We are grateful to SOHAR Port and Freezone for their unwavering support and cooperation, without which this new base of operations wouldn’t have been made possible. Albwardy Damen is keen to support the continued success of SOHAR Port and Freezone as the ‘Gateway to the Gulf’.”

Albwardy Damen’s repair portfolio includes hull and deck steel repairs including pipework, hydro-blasting and painting works, as well as mechanical works such as engine overhaul, hydraulic and electrical works. Certified Riding squads are also available to meet customer requirements on board vessels.

“By establishing this new venture, vessels in SOHAR which require repairs and maintenance will be able to get on their way as soon as possible. Our engineers can be on board within hours, reducing mobilisation and repair times dramatically,” added Mr Moelker.

Additionally, vessels calling into Sohar can benefit from the nearby Albwardy Damen Diving, which has been serving the marine industry since 1995. The diving hub is located in Fujairah Port but the diving teams are able to serve regional ports and anchorages. The dive teams can also carry out a full range of diving services in African ports.

Albwardy Damen has a total workforce of around 1300 people of 26 different nationalities in its UAE locations and 15% of its staff have been with the company over 15 years. With all key competences in-house, including an extensive engineering division, Albwardy Damen repairs and builds vessels to the highest technical and environmental standards. It is certified by LRQA to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 as well as API Q1.

SOHAR Port and Freezone is a deep sea port and free zone in the Middle East, situated in the Sultanate of Oman midway between Dubai and Muscat. With current investments of US$26 billion, it is one of the world's fastest growing port and free zone developments and lies at the centre of global trade routes between Europe and Asia.