A keel is the large beam around which shipbuilders make the hull of the ship and is generally the first part to be constructed. The new escort tugboats will be manufactured by Grandweld, a UAE-based shipbuilding, ship repair and conversion specialist, which was chosen after a close evaluation process of over eight worldwide shipbuilders. The keel laying ceremony was held on Thursday the 15th of September in Grandweld’s Shipyard in Dubai and was presided over by Captain Mohamed Al Shamisi, Vice President-Ports Operations of ADPC, who gave a welcoming speech and described the event as a momentous and proud occasion for ADPC.
The vessels feature a 55 ton bollard pull capability, providing enough power to handle the large vessels and container ships operating in Khalifa Port. The vessels’ special features also include 360 degree rotatable propeller drives providing the tugs with exceptional maneuverability. In addition, and to further enhance safety in Khalifa port, the vessels will be equipped with firefighting capability to class 1.
“We at ADPC are very proud to celebrate the establishment of this fundamental cornerstone and we share that pride with our ADPC customers with whom we work closely, and are committed to providing the highest quality of services. The first ever tugboats for Khalifa Port have been specifically designed to handle the world class infrastructure port project.”
Jamal Abki, General Manager of Grandweld shipyards (pictured left), marked the occasion with the following statement: “We are aware of the increasing demand for high performance tugs with advanced technology that can enhance port safety and operations; we aim to bring this technology to khalifa port. Grandweld is pleased to contribute to the expansion of AbuDhabi maritime infrastructure”.
Grandweld is an internationally recognised company specializing in ship building, ship repair and conversion of offshore vessels. With a world class infrastructure, engineering and production facility at Al Jadaf and Dubai Maritime City, Grandweld Shipyards has established a first-class reputation for high quality building standards, on-time delivery and round the clock operation. Moreover,Grandweld is currently undergoing major expansion at the Dubai Maritime City that will more than double its capacity.
The new Khalifa Port will be the most technologically advanced within the region, with a semi automated container handling facility and a wide range of productivity enhancing processes. It will have an initial annual capacity of 2 million containers and 12 million tons of cargo. Dredged to receive the largest ships, it can grow in phases in line with Abu Dhabi’s economic growth.
