NEWS

• Shipbuilding boosts the competitive edge of maritime services in Oman

• The Project is a true investment in national capabilities

Asyad Group, marking another major milestone in Oman’s logistics sector, has successfully completed the building of Al Duqm Drydock’s first ship. This feat falls under the integration of maritime logistic services that Asyad Group provides to its local and international customers and is in line with the National Logistics Strategy 2040 (SOLS 2040) to position Oman as a global logistics hub.

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Nadhairi, Chief Executive Officer of Asyad Shipping and Drydock, explained that the completion of this Project, which is considered the first venture of Asyad Drydock in shipbuilding, is a testament to Asyad Group’s empowerment of national talent and firm belief in their capabilities, which continues to be the steering force of Asyad`s growth. “This Project, professionally implemented, has been a significant opportunity for investing in the development of our Omani talent in various engineering and managerial disciplines, and for providing Oman with a qualified human capital capable of leading and sustaining construction operations in the field of maritime services and industries,” he stated.

Al-Nadhairi pointed out that starting to of provide ship building services in Al Duqm Drydock is a pivotal milepost for the logistics sector in Oman. This Project embodies the efforts and investments provided by Asyad Group to raise the competitive edge of logistics and related commercial services and contributes to achieving the pillars of the National Logistics Strategy 2040 (SOLS 2040) to build a diversified economy.

“The expansion of Asyad Group Drydock Services has been the result of a thorough study aimed at identifying the opportunities offered by the global market. Oman, building on its long shipbuilding history and existing advanced infrastructure, is well geared up for leveraging such opportunities and converting them into sustainable economic investments and projects that promote Oman’s competitive and attractive status in the areas of building, repair, maintenance, modularization, conversion and upgrading of ships of all sizes to be used regionally and globally. Hence, we look forward to being a new prosperous brand in designing and building ships of all kinds,” he stressed.

For his part, Mr. Haitham Nasser Al-Taie, the Chief Operations Officer of Asyad Drydock, said that the "Hulm AlBehar" Project delivered to one of the shipping companies operating in Oman was completed within 11 thousand man-hours according to the agreed timeline. The built ship is 15 meters long, 7 meters wide and boasts a maximum payload of 25 tons, and a bollard pull of 8 tons.

He affirmed that Asyad adopts a clear strategy that ensures sustainability is integrated into all the Group’s operational KPIs. The first built ship in Al Duqm Drydock Project has actualised this strategy by meeting all environmental standards aimed at achieving sustainable development of the shipping sector. It has furthermore recorded high technical performance levels after being successfully evaluated and tested by the concerned authorities in Oman.

Al Taei added that Asyad Group is determined to capitalize on the potential of the Drydock and aims to increase its total capacity and optimise its operational efficiency. The Group has extended its invitation to both the public and private sectors to follow suit and tap into the Drydock’s services of building small and medium ships, including fishing boats and tugboats. 

It is noteworthy that Asyad Drydock has been ranked the best ship repair dock in the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent according to the 2021 Ship Tek International Conference and Awards ceremony, cementing the competitiveness of Asyad drydocking services globally.

Asyad Group’s Drydock, consisting of two docks; the first being 410 meters long and 95 meters wide; and the second 410 meters long, 80 meters wide and 14 meters deep, offers its services to a wide range of ships of up to 600,000 tons. It also includes a 2800-meter-long berth and 453,000 square meters of reclaimed land.