After some turbulent years and changes of ownership, Canadian shipyard Davie has been repositioned. Since 2014, the company, belonging to Zafiro Marine, is participating in the repair segment again
The yard’s foundation by Captain Allison Davie in 1825 was the beginning of a long and rich history. Since its[ds_preview] inception, Davie has built over 700 vessels, from steamboats to diesel-electric oilfield services vessels with advanced dynamic positioning systems and naval vessels with complex combat systems. Davie has built, converted, repaired and upgraded almost every form of vessel, rig and offshore platform including tankers, bulk carriers, containerships, fishing vessels, ferries, naval vessels and jack-up and semi-submersible drilling and production platforms.
Certified to ISO 9001:2008, Davie leverages its high-capacity fabrication facilities to manage end-to-end construction projects and provide best-practice throughlife solutions to corporate and governmental clients. Ship repair activities restarted last year.
Two ship repair contracts for the government were signed and another contract with CSL Group will take effect soon. Allan Bowen, Davie’s CEO says: »The two contract awards are a testament to the high quality works carried out here. It is an important step for our shipyard that adds to the accomplishments of the last months. Using our multiple dry dock facility for ship repair is a core business stream for us.« This market niche is, incidentally, an area of expertise for the company and a focus for its strategic development. »Its geographical location on one of the most prized river links in Canada combined with its expertise make Davie an ideal candidate for this area of activity«, states Germania Shipyard Agency, representing Davie in the German
market.
Davie provides operational and routine maintenance for ocean-going and laker vessels. »We ensure that downtime spent in dry dock is kept to a minimum and that we keep the project on time and on budget, even when changes of scope occur«, the Canadian yard promises.
Activity in conversion market
It is as well active in the conversion market and has developed a strong track record in performing ship lengthening for different types of vessels. For example, it added 500t of steel to the laker »Nanticoke«. As well, the vessel »Cabot« was lengthened by 125 ft and the two STQ ferries » Jos-Deschênes« and »Armand-Imbeau« by 60 ft each. Davie is the largest shipyard in Canada, with over 57 hectares of land area. At 351.6m, the Champlain dry dock is Canada’s largest graving dock. It is 36.57m wide and was fully refurbished in 2001 at a cost of over 12mill. $.
The dock is serviced by elevators and a variety of fixed and mobile cranes and can be used for both repair and construction projects. A channel connecting the Champlain dry dock to the main shipping channel on the St. Lawrence River provides a safe passage for vessels of all descriptions. The dock is equipped with a central gate which allows two vessels to be docked at any time (194.5m in the inner section and 147m in the outer section).
The Lorne dry dock is found on the west side of Davie located just in front of the corporate head offices. At 182.95m length and 18.89m width, this dry dock is well suited for the repair, maintenance and conversion of narrower vessels such as surface combat vessels, coast guard vessels, tugs etc.It has a pumping time of three hours and is therefore able to quickly turn around incoming vessels. Dedicated covers are on site and can be positioned over the dock on rails to provide protection for weather-sensitive tasks. Furthermore, a covered slipway is available for ship conversion.
Peter Bielke, Ulf Kleine, Rüdiger Hagge
