Jadaf Dubai records seven per cent growth in 2005

DUBAI — The growing demand for ship lifting services coupled with the international expertise it offers, has helped Jadaf Dubai notch a higher performance during 2005, securing its position as the world's leading dock for ship lifting operations.

The yard's two docks repaired and carried out maintenance of a total of 2,347 ships during the year, recording a seven per cent increase in business with 166 more ships being docked, undocked and redocked as compared to the 2,181 vessels it catered to during the previous year.

Hamed Mohammed M bin Lahej, General Manager, Jadaf Dubai said: "We have improved on our previous year's performance, meeting the rising demand for ship docking and undocking because of the high level of our technical expertise which has resulted in maximum efficiency and productivity in our operations."

The number of ships serviced at Dock No 1, which handles all types of sea faring vessels of up to 250 deadweight tonnage (DWT), rose to 1,709 in 2005 from 1,495 in 2004, registering an increase of 214 vessels.

Since its establishment in 1979, Jadaf Dubai has emerged as the preferred dock for prominent fleet operators such as Seabulk International, Amasco, Al Jaber, Stanford Marine, Gulf Agency, Inchcape, NMS and Inter Marine, besides attracting customers from South Asian, African and European countries. It is the Arabian Gulf's oldest ship repair and industrial marine yard.

Similarly, the number of vessels docked during the year grew by 78, those undocked rose by 90 and the number of ships redocked at the yard increased by seven during 2005.

Gaining a reputation for quality maintenance and repairs, Jadaf Dubai services various kinds of sea-faring vessels including yachts, passenger ships and oil tankers, in partnership with 275 companies operating within the yard and another 150 companies dealing with the yard externally.

"Jadaf Dubai has ably catered to the growing need for regular maintenance of dredging ships, resulting from the significant increase in dredging activities being undertaken for Dubai's various offshore projects. Docking and undocking of ships is a complex operation requiring plenty of experience, precision and expertise and the technical staff at Jadaf have provided smooth and efficient services," Bin Lahej added.