Greek Owners Look West to Gibdock

Recent projects at Gibdock stress the value Greek ferry owners are placing on high quality, reliable ship repair partners in the Western Med in the first half of 2016, with two first time ship visits also emphasizing the Gibraltar yard’s ability to meet contrasting ship renewal needs.

The Hellas Seaways ro-pax vessel Nissos Chios and the Portucalence Shipping Company ferry Express Santorini were both in the yard for the first time recently - the former undergoing a broad spectrum of scheduled repairs and the latter in for emergency structural renewal. Both ships are deployed seasonally in the Western Med, with Nissos Chios operating on the mainland Europe-North Africa route and Express Santorini connecting to the Azores, before returning to Eastern Med services during the winter.

“We are delighted to have been working with Greek ferry owners in the run up to Posidonia 2016, at a time when stable, reliable and efficient partners are so critical for them,” says Richard Beards, Gibdock Managing Director. “Gibdock takes pride in its reputation for quality work completed to schedule, while the role of Alkis Koukis and the team at our Greek agent Hellenic Industrial & Marine Agencies Ltd was also vital in securing these projects. It is particularly pleasing to hear from both owners after completion that they see opportunities for further cooperation.”

In addition to Second Special Survey work undertaken in Gibdock’s No.2 dock, the Elefsis Shipyards-built Nissos Chios underwent a scheduled stern ramp removal and renewal, including fabrication, bush replacement and pin overhauls. The 141m length ferry’s bow thruster also needed to be dismantled and removed to the yard’s workshop for blade and seal replacement. Despite the fact that stern ramp work proved more extensive than had been anticipated, the complete job was carried out within the owner’s 15-day time window.

Meanwhile, the Express Santorini project highlighted Gibdock’s flexible approach to owner requests, with a slot found between other scheduled dry dockings for emergency repairs to ballast tank number 19 behind the forepeak tank, despite a 3-day turnaround at the height of the yard’s seasonal ferry work period. The 42-year old, 115.4m length vessel went into No.3 dock, with the timely turnaround requiring 24-hour working patterns, and redelivery accomplished on time, on budget and to class specifications.  

“These were very different jobs, but one thing they had in common was that they came to us after recommendations from existing ferry clients on our quality and reliability, and the lack of hidden costs in doing business with Gibdock,” says John Taylor, Gibdock Operations Director. “We look forward to strengthening our partnership with both owners in the months ahead.”