Swedish Ferry Repair Contract for Damen
Damen Oskarshamnsvarvet informs it has won a contract for the refit and repair works of a Swedish ferry from Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration). Awarded after a public tender process, the contract refers to the Castella, a 77-meter-long Ro-Ro ferry. Damen Oskarshamnsvarvet, part of Damen Shiprepair & Conversion, will complete the works between November 2017 and March 2018.
Trafikverket, the Swedish governmental body responsible for national infrastructure, operates more than 40 different ferry routes that mobilize more than 60 ferries. These enable 21 million passenger and 11 million vehicle transports per year; demonstrating the vital function that ferries contribute to Sweden’s transport system.
“We are proud to have been awarded this contract after the public tender process,” csaid Damen Oskarshamnsvarvet managing director, Flip van der Waal. “The Castella is due to arrive here on November 7, and leave for resumption of active service in March next year.”
Damen Oskarshamnsvarvet is the most northerly located yard within the Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) network of worldwide ship repair yards. Its location on Sweden’s Baltic Sea coast serves to extend DSC’s scope in Northern Europe.
The scope of work required on the 1980-built Castella includes replacing the existing wheelhouse with a new aluminum wheelhouse. “We will complete all works for the new wheelhouse here on site. This includes fabrication, finishing and installation,” Van der Waal said. “By performing all these actions under one roof, we can guarantee the highest levels of quality at a competitive price.”
The yard will also handle the design, construction and installation of a new integrated automation and alarm system (IAS). Additional works consist of renewal of the vessel’s four propulsion engines and installation of a new control system for the rudder propellers which will be supplied by the owner.
Van der Waal said the Castella contract also consists of overhauling and painting the vessel ramps as well as painting of the decks and internal hull. “Damen Oskarshamnsvarvet is very well equipped for this project. The combination of a dedicated production hall for steel works and a separate painting shed is actually unique in the region.”