Damen renews Madagascar maintenance contract

For operators of port service vessels, adequate maintenance and support provision throughout the fleet’s lifetime is an important consideration. This is true whether the operators are the port authority itself, independent service providers contracted to the port, or individual ship owners who require their services.

The Damen group of companies includes 35 new construction and repair yards worldwide along with a network of service hubs and the recently reported contract renewal with La Société du Port à Gestion Autonome de Toamasina (SPAT), the authority in charge of management and operation of the port, will see Damen provide maintenance services for two more years. It is the fifth similar contract renewal since the first was signed in 2012.

Scope of the agreement includes three locally recruited Damen engineers permanently on-site, one specialising in maintenance of the vessels’ Caterpillar engines, the other two responsible for general maintenance using the Damen Maintenance Management Solution (DMMS).

This produces maintenance schedules including instructions and guidance tailored to the individual needs of each vessel and includes everything from radio equipment surveys, docking assistance and crew training to delivery of parts at the right time.

Maintaining the port service vessels at their peak efficiency is important for a client going through a period of expansion including a new 333m long quay providing a draught of 16m along with provision of an additional five hectares of space to the existing container terminal shoreside.

Port of Toamasina has five Damen-built vessels in operation, the largest being the Stan Tug 3008 Antsika complemented by the Stan Tug 2608 Noe, Pushy Cat 46 Fihavanana and a Damen Stan Tender.

Christian Avellin, managing director of La Société du Port à Gestion Autonome de Toamasina, said: “It is really a great pleasure for SPAT to be able to perpetuate the fruitful collaboration with Damen. Let us continue our respective commitments together and redouble our efforts to pursue the common dynamism that will lead us to collective success. It is with this momentum that SPAT, aware and reassured of the professionalism of Damen which has already proven itself through the first five maintenance contracts, has decided to extend the contract.