Goltens Logo

 

 
Review
Workshops
Goltens Worldwide
Tradeshows/Events
Agency Agreements
People
 
PRESS RELEASE
New
Archive
 
NEWSLETTER
 

 

NEWS - PRESS RELEASE

 



Hard Yards
Supply Vessels and offshore platforms are reaping the benefits of a highly competitive repair and maintenance market in the Gulf, says Goltens

April 2009 - Oil & Gas Middle East


Keeping the offshore industry afloat takes an armada of unglamorous but vital service craft flat out. Ensuring the flotilla is always on call are the regions smaller yards, which have turned a quick - turnaround into an art form.

A key player in the Middle East, and with a global pedigree is Goltens. The firms has carved an important name for itself in the regional offshore repair sector, recently winning contracts ranging from FPSO power plant upgrades to turnkey main engine repairs and hull work for CGG Vertsas.,

Fred Van der Bijl, director of technical Services, Goltens Dubai Branch, told Oil & Gas Middle East that there still remained further scope to step up tailored services for the offshore industry, and this was his goal for 2009.

"Between 70 and 80% of our business in this region is coming from the oil an gas supply and offshore support vessels. However, the majority is related to vessels, since we are a ship repair company, and docking offshore support / supply vessels is our day to day businesses," says van der Bijl.

In addition to this work, the company has been expanding its portfolio of offshore specific work. "This can vary between a turn-key project and supply of spare parts. In terms of rig work these are mainly special repair projects, although recently we executed a turn-key project in Qatar where we supplied and installed two start - up generators on two rigs in situ."

The double whammy of a credit crunch and suppressed oil price has hit many business down the E&P supply chain hard, and van der Bijl says repair and maintenance is no exception. "There has been a noticeable shift for sure. Business from 2006 through most of 2008 was booming. If a company didn't make good business then did something wrong!"

But things are noticeably different. The enquiries have remained about the same, but getting the orders signed take more work now. From the owners there is certainly more shopping around going on, and people are hanging on for lower bids to come in,"  he explains.

Goltens World Wide spans 22 branches, and this combined experience has kept the team in Dubai well rooted despite the boom time. "The most important factor is to pay constant attention and never lose sight of the market. Adopting the right strategy is more than just doing well when the market is. Therefore we are still investing in our company assets and resources despite the slowdown."

Whilst Goltens are expecting less activity than has recently been the norm, the Middle East has much to be optimistic about, and investments are in the firm's infrastructure here, and in India are ongoing. "We are about to finish our workshops in Jeddah (KSA) and in Mumbai (India), and globally we are very excited about a huge facility in Vietnam."

The EPIC (engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning) contract for FPSOcean’s Deep Producer 1 vessel at Goltens’ yard and Dubai Drydocks has been a notable success.

"Our engine, electrical and fabrication departments were working around the clock to complete the entire design, pre - fabrication, outfitting and commissioning of a complete containerized emergency generator in a n impressive 67 days."

The project included the fabrication of two enclosures - one for the emergency generator and the second for the emergency generator control panels.

"In another offshore success we have been working on the largest FPSO in the gulf for last three years, where we managed a complete system conversion and modification, without interrupting the operation of the FPSO."

Goltens has grown in stature with the regional repair and refurbishment scene and has branches in Fujairah, Qatar and the Jeddah yard will so go operational. In Bahrain the company have a tenancy at the country's dry dock and fabrication facility ASRY.

"The Bahrain arrangement has been very successful, both for us and the yard, and we are looking at replicating this elsewhere in the region," he says. Generally, managing an offshore production plant is not an easy task, especially when maintenance and repair of parts are a daily business.. Mobilization of big items or parts of the plant to a workshop is a costly task and very time consuming which can lead to project delays. To solve this,
and build on recent success, Goltens will be ramping up the in-situ service it offers this year. Flange facing as an in-situ machining service, already covers up to to 4000 mm facing. Line boring of fitting bolt holes, gear-boxes, engines or hinging of any kind are other services which the firm can offer on board.

"We are acutely aware that our customers can only do business when their ship is sailing so whenever a ship needs a repair then time is one of the most important issues. It remains our priority to focus on the repair and work together with our customer to get the job done in the shortest time," he signs off.
 

Goltens, QHSE Management system of Dubai & Fujairah operations certified to ISO 9001, 14001 & OHSAS 18001 by DNV

September 6th 2008


Goltens company Limited, a leading provider of specialized repair, maintenance, reconditioning services and trading of engineering components for the worldwide shipping, offshore marine installations, industrial plants and power stations spread across 19 locations worldwide, has received the prestigious ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certification in addition to ISO 9001:2000 already held since 1997 for it’s Dubai and Fujairah operations on 3rd September 2008. The certificate presentation ceremony was held in conjunction with a well attended Iftar party held at Dhow Palace Hotel, Dubai.  

Goltens is the only independent repair specialist to offer ship owners, managers and OEMs all-inclusive worldwide service. Each year over 1000 clients including ship-owners, shipyards, industrial plants and power stations, rely on Goltens to organize, plan and perform critical maintenance and repair work.





The Integrated Quality, Health, Safety & Environmental (QHSE) Management systems were analyzed and audited by a panel of Lead auditors from Det Norske Veritas (DNV), prior to the award of the certification-on Environmental Management System (ISO 14001: 2004), Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSAS 18001:2007) & recertification on Quality Management System (ISO 9001:2000). the DNV team put both operations through all the evaluation procedures and eligibility criteria.

Mr. Gunnar Haug, Managing Director of Dubai & Fujairah operations, said: “Goltens Co. Ltd. opted for the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 endorsement, as the standards are widely acknowledged for environmental, health and safety management systems. The certifications stipulate how organisations need to implement effective mechanisms for the welfare of the employees as well as the communities in which they operate. They also indicate our commitment to good environmental practices and proactively implementing strategies, while providing a safe setting for our employees and sub-contractors.”

Mr. Paul Friedberg, President of Goltens Worldwide Service, said: “Goltens World Wide, with some 1200 employees and service stations in 19 different locations, is in a substantial globalization process these days, and Goltens in UAE is by far the biggest unit and works as a locomotive in this process. “Going global” is a difficult and complex process, but at least much easier to accomplish when the whole worldwide service network is using the same uniform integrated management system. Most of our customers operate internationally; therefore it is easier for them to refer to a service provider with service stations all singing from the same song sheet. The process however does not stop here. Furthermore, continual improvement of QHSE system performance as required by the certified management systems will be harnessed and translated to organizational excellence and business sustainability.”