|
|
Miri based shipbuilder Nam
Cheong Dockyard Sdn Bhd expects revenue to
increase more than three fold this year due to
the up trend in demand for offshore support
vessels (OSVs).
The specialised shipyard for the construction of
OSVs registered RM425mil in revenue last year.
Executive director Leong Seng Keat told StarBiz
that Nam Cheong’s current order book stood at
RM3.2bil and would last until end 2010.
All of the vessels in Nam Cheong’s order book
consist of OSVs.
“The outlook for the OSV segment in the local
shipbuilding industry will still be strong.
“This is in view of the number of oil and gas
activities in Malaysia and its surrounding
waters. There will not be a lack of demand for
OSVs,” he said, adding that this would be the
driving force of its financial forecast this
year.
However, he cautioned that Malaysian
shipbuilders would face competition from other
Asian countries particularly China.
Early this month, Nam Cheong signed a contract
with classification society, Det Norske Veritas
(DNV), to class 10 of its new OSVs.
DNV will also provide Certification of Materials
and Components (CMC) for two Rolls
Royce-designed vessels due for completion by
2011.
The move was to ensure that Nam Cheong’s OSVs
are fit and acceptable for any trade in any part
of the world.
These vessels will either be used for trade by
the yard’s own management company or sold on the
spot market.
The construction of the 10 OSVs will begin in
the first quarter of next year and scheduled for
completion in mid 2011.
The 10 vessels comprise two UT755LN vessels with
dynamic positioning II (DP II) notation while
the rest are UT755CD vessels with dynamic
positioning I notation.
DNV Maritime (Malaysia) country manager Knut
Ording said DNV saw a trend towards high-end
offshore market in South East Asia’s
shipbuilding industry.
“We also observed that companies in this region
are keen to work with DNV for the added value we
can provide based on our vast experience in the
offshore market such as the North Sea.
“In this regard, we are delighted to team up
with Nam Cheong which has over 40 years of
experience,” he said |
