Nakilat Damen Shipyards lays keel for 2 ‘stan tugs’

Representatives from NDSQ and NSW at the keel-laying ceremony at Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard in Ras Laffan.Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ), a joint venture between Nakilat and Dutch shipbuilder Damen, has laid the keels for two 16m-long stan tugs.This is part of a seven-vessel order for marine services provider Nakilat SvitzerWijsmuller (NSW), which is owned 70% by Nakilat and 30% by Svitzer Middle East. The two twin-screw stan tugs have a bollard pull of 15 tonnes and will be used for mooring vessels visiting the Port of Ras Laffan, said a spokesman for Nakilat.NDSQ is also currently building five other vessels for the NSW order: two 28m-long azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs, two 31m-long ASD Tugs and one 22m-long glass reinforced plastic (GRP) pilot boat. The stan tugs, the ASD tugs and the pilot boat will be delivered to NSW for use at Ras Laffan.“This milestone further confirms the solid contribution that NDSQ’s shipbuilding operations are making towards Qatar’s industrial sector,” Abdullah Fadhalah al-Sulaiti, managing director of Nakilat and chairman of NDSQ and NSW, said.Vessels operated by NSW include tug boats, pilot boats, line boats and crew boats. It offers a range of services including towing, escorting, berthing, pilot support, line handling services afloat and ashore, emergency response, and marine maintenance support.Nakilat is a Qatari marine company providing the essential transportation link in Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply chain. Its LNG shipping fleet is the largest in the world, comprising 56 vessels.Nakilat also manages and operates four liquefied petroleum gas carriers. Through two strategic joint ventures, Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM) and NDSQ, Nakilat operates the ship repair and construction facilities at Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard.