The German market is getting more important for Gibdock. The shipyard is increasingly being recognised beyond the pure containership sector
Gibdock has continued to see its stock rise within the German shipowner community over the past year. Richard Beards, Managing[ds_preview] Director of the ship repair yard in Gibraltar, comments: »We enjoyed another successful SMM this September. We have a strong customer base in Germany with an excellent partner in Combitrade, our German agent. We not only renewed our existing contacts but made new ones and have already seen work result from this all-important event.«
One of the last clients for scheduled maintenance works was Reederei Schepers’ Multi-Purpose-Container vessel »Liberty« in No. 2 Drydock. Other German owners and operators that have recently docked vessels at Gibdock include Oscar Wehr, Reederei Jüngerhans, E. Oldendorff, Peter Döhle Schiffahrt, Brise Bereederung, Asterion Tankers, Ahrenkiel, OPDR, Hans Peterson, John T. Essberger, Reederei Draxl, Columbia Shipmanagement, Thien & Heyenga, and Interorient.
Containerships have traditionally comprised the majority of the German-owned vessels that Gibdock has worked on and the ship type has continued to contribute strongly through 2013 and into 2014. However, Peter Pinck, General Manager of Combitrade, Gibdock’s representative in the German market, says: »While most of the work that we have secured for Gibdock involves container vessels of varying types and sizes, over the past year we have seen more tankers and reeferships opting to go to Gibraltar as well.«
Projects have varied in scale and scope and have included drydockings as well as afloat repair works, for stern tube renewals, bow repairs and class renewals, among other works. The yard has also handled a big engine repair after a fire in the engine room on the 500 TEU vessel »Andalucia«, which was docked for OPDR, a new customer for Gibdock.
One of the biggest containership projects in the past 24 months involved the »Aldebaran«, a 2,785 TEU containership owned and managed by Reederei Horst Zeppenfeld, which went through an extensive package of works at the shipyard. As part of this project Gibdock was called upon to remove three deck cranes weighing more than 50 t each from their foundations and transfer them ashore using two mobile cranes.
Notable 2014 projects have included work to the 1998-built »Westerhamm« (2,072 TEU) that is part of the Hans Peterson fleet, and the »Wehr Alster« (1,900 TEU), operated by Oskar Wehr, as well as two ships for Jungerhans, »Helena J« (1,900 TEU) and »Corona J« (1,186 TEU).
Pinck says: »Over the past few years we have been working closely with Gibdock to raise their profile within the important German shipping business and we have together achieved considerable success. Customers give us positive feedback about the yard and are happy with the quality of the work, and the price, while time keeping is always excellent.«
The volume of work generated for Gibdock by German owners and operators has remained relatively steady, despite the effects of the financial and shipping market crises. »What we have been seeing is that some owners, who might have been looking at docking ships due for their fourth or fifth special survey, are opting to sell or scrap the ships, rather than send them to drydock for repairs, to save money,« observes Pinck. »But this is something that is affecting many yards, and not just Gibdock.«
Gibdock is strategically located in the Strait of Gibraltar, reducing deviation times for vessels trading in the East-West trade lanes. The yard has three drydocks, ranging in length from 154 m to 272 m, and these are served by a total of seven dock cranes, with capacities from 8-45 t. As well, the shipyard has two alongside repair quays, the 300 m long Main Wharf and the 435 m long South Mole. Recent investments within the shipyard include a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
Richard Beards sees the containership work as a key ingredient in the repair and conversion yard’s broad spectrum of work. »We will continue to ›mix it up‹, securing business in many different market segments over the rest of 2014 and into 2015.«
