On 20th October, a handover ceremony was held at Albwardy Damen, in Sharjah, UAE, marking Damen’s delivery of thirteen tugs to Jawar Al Khaleej Shipping. The tugs will be operated at various offshore terminals in Iraq, in a joint cooperation between Jawar Al Khaleej Shipping and General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI). The contract for the order was signed end of March 2019. Damen has delivered all the vessels within a seven month period.
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Damen was able to deliver the thirteen vessels quickly, modified to the requirements of its client, thanks to its philosophy of standardised shipbuilding, which ensures the fast delivery of proven vessels. The thirteen vessel order consisted of four ASD Tugs 2813, two ASD Tugs 3212, three RSD Tugs 2513 – all state-of-the-art vessels from Damen’s Next Generation Tugs series – three Stan Tugs 2208 and a Shoalbuster 2609. The ASD tugs are fully equipped, including FiFi 1 and an escort towing notation. Furthermore, the contract includes spare part packages, training, a computerised planned maintenance system and a remote monitoring system on board of all tugs.
During the ceremony seven of the thirteen tugs where lined up at the Albwardy Damen facility in Sharjah, UAE, three tugs are already in operation and the remaining three boats are currently on voyage from the yard to the client. Albwardy Damen has played a crucial role in outfitting the tugs as per the client’s requirements and providing training to all crew prior to delivery.
The vessel order will serve to fulfil a 20 year contract between Jawar Al Khaleej Shipping and GCPI. The contract gives Jawar Al Khaleej Shipping responsibility for marine service at the oil terminals.
With this agreement, the two parties will secure Iraq’s ability to handle the constant flow of tankers entering and leaving the country.
Jawar Al Khaleej has been successfully providing marine services in Iraq for the last ten years, and has a modern fleet of a Damen Stan Tugs, three Damen ASD Tugs 3213 and a Fast Crew Supplier 5009. The existing Damen fleet has proven to be extremely reliable, which is essential considering the remote offshore location and harsh environmental conditions in which the vessels must operate. A reliable fleet is vital for providing safe and uninterrupted operations at the offshore oil terminals.
Jawar Al Khaleej chairman Eng. Baydaq Al Jazaeri, speaking during his speech at the handover ceremony, said, “This Mission was not an easy one, it was a great challenge. However, we had a big confidence in our partner in business, Damen, who met and exceeded our expectations in making it happen despite all challenges. I would like to thank all the Damen team and a special thanks to Mr Bram Langeveld area director Middle East and Mr Pascal Slingerland Damen sales director Middle East for their continuous support and follow-up. Jawar is grateful to GCPI for their confidence in us for such a big contract, which is related to the economy of a big country such as Iraq.”
Pascal Slingerland added, “It has been an honour to extend our long lasting relationship with Jawar Al Khaleej Shipping and to support Jawar in this prestigious contract with GCPI. On behalf of Damen I congratulate both parties on their cooperation and on the delivery of their new tugs. This delivery includes some of the most state-of-the-art tug technology on the market, including cutting edge innovations in safety, design and remote monitoring. We have every confidence that these thoroughly fit for purpose tugs will meet the offshore terminal requirements and enables save and reliable operation.
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A short video is available at youtube.com