by GuestfromEU » March 31, 2019, 5:54 am
It depends on what exact scope of work is required as to which shipyard will be selected for vessel attendance. Does Canada have a drydock capable of berthing a Panamax vessel? If a scrubber is installed (on any vessel, not the Algoma Integrity specifically), understand that most Exhaust Gas Scrubbers are actually fabricated in China. To install that unit in a "foreign" shipyard, there are transportation costs to move the unit from China to overseas. That will affect the overall project cost. Likely, the charter between Algoma and the customer has out-of-service clauses, providing for regulatory maintenance and times the ship will not be available. The cost of repositioning the vessel to the Far East is not insignificant for sure, but the scope of work may very well justify the cost, particularly if major steel work is planned, and other heavy overhaul as the shipyard cost is quite lower cost in Chinese yards. The quality of work will be good and it will be completed on time, something North American shipyards fall behind on in many cases.
Relating to North American shipping companies, many Jones Act tankers on the West Coast (Pacific coast trading) conduct yard periods in Singapore. They can typically arrange a cargo in either direction (particularly returning to the USA). Many East Coast-located Jones Act tankers will visit Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, Bahamas (many cruise ships in the Caribbean trade also attend this yard). It also simply comes down to a shipyard's ability to perform the required work. Many smaller shipyards - even if they are equipped with a suitable drydock size - are simply not capable of heavy refit work. At one time they may have built ships, but they have since restructured and now focus on minor repairs, in-and-out special surveys, etc.
It depends on what exact scope of work is required as to which shipyard will be selected for vessel attendance. Does Canada have a drydock capable of berthing a Panamax vessel? If a scrubber is installed (on any vessel, not the Algoma Integrity specifically), understand that most Exhaust Gas Scrubbers are actually fabricated in China. To install that unit in a "foreign" shipyard, there are transportation costs to move the unit from China to overseas. That will affect the overall project cost. Likely, the charter between Algoma and the customer has out-of-service clauses, providing for regulatory maintenance and times the ship will not be available. The cost of repositioning the vessel to the Far East is not insignificant for sure, but the scope of work may very well justify the cost, particularly if major steel work is planned, and other heavy overhaul as the shipyard cost is quite lower cost in Chinese yards. The quality of work will be good and it will be completed on time, something North American shipyards fall behind on in many cases.
Relating to North American shipping companies, many Jones Act tankers on the West Coast (Pacific coast trading) conduct yard periods in Singapore. They can typically arrange a cargo in either direction (particularly returning to the USA). Many East Coast-located Jones Act tankers will visit Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, Bahamas (many cruise ships in the Caribbean trade also attend this yard). It also simply comes down to a shipyard's ability to perform the required work. Many smaller shipyards - even if they are equipped with a suitable drydock size - are simply not capable of heavy refit work. At one time they may have built ships, but they have since restructured and now focus on minor repairs, in-and-out special surveys, etc.