|
Singapore Technologies Marine (ST
Marine) is a premier shipyard that provides turnkey
shipbuilding, ship conversion and shiprepair services with
a proven track record in the design, construction and repair
of naval and commercial vessels. Today, it is leveraging
its extensive experience to take on more complex and challenging
projects.
(I) Creating New Opportunities
With more than 35 years in the shipbuilding
and shiprepair industry, ST Marine has established a reputation
for high quality, innovative solutions customised to meet the
precise operational requirements of its clients.
ST Marine’s
ability to manage technically complex and time demanding
projects on a turnkey
basis provided the shipyard an edge in niche markets.
ST Marine invested in enhancing its
facilities to meet the needs of its customers. Firstly, it
upgraded its two facilities in Singapore, particularly its
main yard, with the latest equipment and technologies.
In addition, VT Halter Marine gives
ST Marine access to newbuild facilities in the Mississippi
Gulf Coast. VT Halter Marine will provide an important entry
point for ST Marine to grow its naval and commercial shipbuilding
business into the Americas.
(II) Rising to the Challenge
ST Marine’s
frigate newbuilding programme for the Republic of Singapore
Navy (RSN) kicked off
in October 2002 and went into full swing in 2003 with a series
of plate cutting and keel laying ceremonies during the year.
In March, Lieutenant-General Lim Chuan
Poh, then Chief of Defence Force, graced a keel laying ceremony
for Frigate 2. Plate cutting ceremonies were held in July and
September for Frigates 4, 5 and 6, followed by another keel
laying ceremony for Frigate 3 in November.
The ST Marine frigate newbuilding programme
is the largest for the RSN to date and will see some of the
most sophisticated vessels being added to its fleet. Under
this programme, ST Marine will be required to deliver five
stealth frigates within a tight schedule.
To support the frigate newbuilding
programme, ST Marine invested in the upgrading of its facilities.
Its existing construction halls were rebuilt to allow for hull
construction and outfitting work to be completed under shelter.
The Company also upgraded its syncrolift system, erected mobile
shelters and a new blasting chamber. Further productivity enhancements
were also achieved through the increased use of Computer Numeric
Control production techniques.
The upgrading programme also included
investments in state-of-the-art equipment and systems such
as the Enterprise Resource Management (ERM) system which integrates
the entire production chain from planning and budgeting, project
management, material planning and management to quality and
safety management. This system brings greater accuracies in
planning the entire production process from cost controls to
project management.
The frigate
newbuilding programme gives ST Marine the opportunity to
demonstrate its ability to create
innovative workflow designs and maximise the use of limited
space to optimise productivity. This experience will sharpen
ST Marine’s newbuilding and project management capabilities
significantly.
In April,
ST Marine delivered “Art
Carlson”, the last of three Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs),
to Tidewater, the world’s largest operator of support
vessels for the offshore oil and gas industry. The new generation
80m PSV is a highly automated vessel designed with a sophisticated
diesel-electric propulsion system and a Dynamic Positioning
System, Class 2.
(III) Delivering High Value
Services in Shiprepair
2003 proved
to be a challenging year for ST Marine’s shiprepair
business.
Dredger repairs were impacted as a
result of changes in regional government policies regarding
the export of sand and the consequential impact on land reclamation
activities. However, ST Marine remained a dominant player in
this market segment with a significant market share.
Major projects
during the year included those carried out for Hyundai Engineering
and Construction’s “Asan
Ho”, Ballast Ham Dredging’s “Ham310”,
as well as Dredging International Asia Pacific’s “Pearl
River”.
Tank coating repairs was also a significant market segment for
ST Marine during the year. ST Marine completed several projects
for one of the leading chemical tanker companies in the world
- Stolt Nielsen Transportation Group in the US. These included
tank coating projects for Stolt Azelea, Stolt Avenir, Stolt Hawk
and Stolt Lily, among others.
Ship conversions, which are typically high value added projects
involving a high level of engineering content, were also key
for ST Marine.
One noteworthy
conversion project completed during the year was the upgrading
of a passenger line, “Crown
Odyssey”, for Norwegian Cruise Line. ST Marine converted
the observation deck and forward deck into a spa and fitness
centre, including the fabrication and installation of a new
enclosure block. It completed the project within a short turnaround
time and to the customer’s satisfaction.
In July, ST Marine was appointed by
MTU Friedrichshafen (MTU), a leading manufacturer of large
diesel engines and complete drive systems, as an authorised
service dealer for their engines. The Company will offer MTU
customers one stop, integrated maintenance services locally
and in the region.
(IV) Winning in a Brave New
World
ST Marine’s
global business took off in 2003 with the setting up of VT
Halter Marine in the
US in October 2002. VT Halter Marine enables the Company to
grow its presence in the commercial and naval newbuilding markets
in the Americas and beyond.
Although VT Halter Marine just celebrated
its first anniversary in October, the quality standards of
its operational procedures have already received independent
endorsement from the American Bureau of Shipping, which accorded
VT Halter Marine an ISO 9001 certification after an audit in
July.
Since it commenced its operations, VT Halter Marine secured several
commercial and government contracts. During the year, the US
Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) exercised its option to build a second
Fisheries Survey Vessel (FSV) with VT Halter Marine. This US$39m
contract was awarded in October at the same time that the first
FSV, christened “Oscar Dyson”, was launched. The
FSVs, the most technologically advanced in the world, demonstrate
VT Halter Marine’s capabilities in the design and construction
of sophisticated, world class vessels.
|
VT Halter Marine also achieved several project
milestones during the year. One of these was
the laying of keel for the second Logistic Support
Vessel (LSV) for the US Army’s Tank-automotive
and Armaments Command (TACOM) in March. Following
close after, the first LSV for the US Army, christened “SSGT
Robert T. Kuroda”, was launched in May.
VT Halter Marine was just as successful on the
commercial front. In April, it won a contract
from Pasha Hawaii Transport Lines, valued at
approximately US$47m, to complete the construction
of their car carrier, “Jean Anne” by
the fourth quarter of 2004. The vessel is the
first pure car truck carrier to be built in the
US.
|
|
In May, VT Halter Marine signed a US$2.8m contract with
the Puerto Rico Port Authority to design and build a
sea-going passenger ferry. The ferry is expected to be
delivered in the second quarter of 2004.
(V) Geared for the Future
Looking into the future, ST Marine will continue to
deliver value added engineering solutions and services
to its naval and commercial customers.
While the shiprepair business is expected to remain
highly competitive and challenging in 2004, the Company
will focus on key market segments such as the chemical
tanker repair market and other high value added shiprepair
services such as conversions.
With the combined strength and capabilities of both
facilities in Singapore and the US, the Marine sector
is set to make waves in the marine engineering industry
of tomorrow.
|
