The Netherlands-based Damen Marine Components (DMC) has secured its first multi-vessel order to supply components for four Multi Cats under construction in the US.
The news brings further success in the tightly regulated US market for Damen and follows on from its licence agreement with Louisiana-based Conrad Shipyard LLC in 2021 to build two Multi Cat 3013 workboats for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation, marking the first reference for Damen Multi Cats to be built in the US.
A range of components is now being supplied to US shipbuilder C&C Marine & Repair for four new Multi Cat 3013 vessels, the same marque as the Conrad Shipyard pair above. The first two in the series are on order for Callan Marine Ltd and, taking a leaf out of Damen’s book of building vessels for stock, the second pair will be built ‘on spec’ by C&C Marine & Repair for sale or lease to the US market.
The order for the 30m vessels involves components including piston-type steering gear; two tugger winches; an anchor winch; a towing winch; an anchor-handling winch; and two towing pin systems rated 50 and 80 tonnes.
Reflecting the global nature of the shipbuilding industry, including for companies domiciled in Europe, all the above will be designed and manufactured at DMC’s production facilities in the Netherlands, Poland and China. DMC will also supply a triple rudder system produced in-house to a third-party design for each vessel.
DMC says its equipment is: “… designed and built on the three principles of durability, reliability and low maintenance over the long term and in all conditions”, adding that all its towing winches are unique with gearboxes that automatically adjust to the required pulling force, enabling them always to run at the most efficient speed. The same technology is also used for the anchor-handling winches, a feature that maximises safety in the often hazardous conditions in which they operate.
DMC points out that its products can be customised to meet client requirements and the equipment being supplied to the vessels being built for Callan Marine is designed to cope with a wide range of conditions from the subtropical climate of the Gulf of Mexico to freezing winters on the Great Lakes to the north. The four Multi Cats are scheduled for completion and delivery during 2023.
Company background
Looking in further detail at the two US companies involved, vessel builder C&C Marine & Repair was established in 1997 and is located at Belle Chasse, LA.
It occupies an 80-acre site along the Intercoastal Waterway and designs and builds vessels including dredgers, dredging support vessels, tugs, barges and offshore supply vessels, along with other marine craft. Facilities at the shipyard allow all new construction activity to take place within enclosed workshops with multiple projects under way at the same time.
The first two Multi Cats will be supplied to Callan Marine, a privately-owned dredging and marine construction company founded in 2009 and based in Galveston, Texas.
Its published fleet list includes seven powerful cutter suction dredgers named after American military generals. They will shortly be joined by an admiral: the trailing suction hopper dredger Admiral Nimitz is reportedly under construction for Callan Marine.
The primary purpose of the Multi Cats will be to support Callan Marine’s dredging fleet, including handling anchors and towing barges where required. The company lists five barges on its website along with four unspecified tugs and workboats up to 1,400hp.
Ronald Beekhof, sales manager, Damen Marine Components, said: “It gives us great pleasure to be able to show to the US market that we design and build equipment that vessel owners and operators can depend on for reliability and minimal downtime over the long term. Our thanks go to C&C Marine for giving us this opportunity and we look forward to supporting them throughout the installation and commissioning process.”
Speaking on behalf of the shipyard, and hinting at future activities, Tony Cibilich, owner of C&C Marine, says: “We have full confidence that Damen Marine Components’ equipment will deliver years of trouble-free service to our client Callan Marine. DMC’s products can be found all over the world and it has a strong reputation in the international market. We look forward to doing business with them again in the future.
