First Timers Flock to ShipRepair & Conversion

As the dedicated meeting place for the repair, conversion, maintenance, refit and after sales services industry, Ship Repair & Conversion 2002 attracted over 2,700 delegates from over 40 countries. The combination of exhibition, conference debate and pre-conference workshop as well as company and product presentations has proven to be a popular format. Exhibitors also took advantage of the industry gathering to host corporate and customer meetings in parallel to the exhibition itself.

The introduction of the company and product presentations area provided exhibiting and independent companies with the platform to host a sales presentation and increase their brand exposure as well as the potential to reach new sales prospects. This facility will be repeated at ShipRepair & Conversion 2003.

The show’s latest confirmed debutants include Hidrodinamik Shipyard of Turkey and the Spanish yard Factoria Naval de Marin, access control specialist Vingcard Marine of Norway and Belgium’s Hydrex, the underwater repairs and maintenance group which will be promoting its new Ecospeed non-toxic antifouling from subsidiary company Subseas Industries. UK lifting equipment manufacturer Hi-Force Hydraulics, best known in the oil & gas, railway and mining industries, will also be making its first appearance in a bid to expand in the shiprepair sector, where customers include Dubai Drydocks.

The UK’s Allen Gears has seen its marine business revitalised by several significant orders for propulsion drive train gearboxes over the past year. It will be making its first show appearance to promote Allen Gear Services, a new after-market business providing overhaul, maintenance and spare parts for its own and third party gearboxes.

Vesco Plastics of South Africa is joining the exhibition newcomers after developing Vesconite, a thermo-plastic material for rudder and propeller shaft bearings. UK Marine Resins appears after becoming sole UK distributor for ITW Philadelphia Resins, the chock-fast products manufacturer which specialises in portable resins for mounting engines, gearboxes, stern tubes and auxiliary equipment.

Dubai Drydock’s UK agent Calvey Marine is among the latest wave of SRC regulars to confirm participation at this year’s show with a stand which will also feature Lisnave, Scamp and the shiprepair division of Holland’s Damen Group.

Damen will be highlighting a reorganisation of its four Rotterdam repair yards, which will combine resources as Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam from January.

The ShipRepair & Conversion Conference 2003 will see more than 30 panellists setting the scene for open discussion among the £150 per head delegates. The seven sessions will range from a state of the industry debate through to ship management, with planning set to become a dominant theme at every session.

As conversion market panellist David Dobson, Managing Director of A&P Group’s projects division says, ‘The effort you put up front in organisation, design work and getting the thought processes together is where the dividends pay. We recently completed a scheduled 13 month drill ship conversion for De Beers three months early.

That was down to planning.’

John Riding, Managing Director of risk consultants Marico Marine, will prompt discussion on shipyard security by urging early compliance with the ISPS Code, which takes effect next July. He warns, ‘It might take two years for regulators to check every facility, with shipyards low on their list of priorities. But shipowners, particularly those trading to the USA, cannot afford not to comply so yards risk losing their business unless they grasp the nettle now.’

Mr Riding will chair a post-conference workshop on yard compliance with the ISPS Code on 28th November. There will also be a pre-conference workshop on negotiating newbuilding, conversion and repair contracts on 25 November led by Simon Curtis, Partner at Curtis Davis Garrard.

MJ Information No: 18801