French Shiprepair Yard Sobrena Becomes Damen Shiprepair Brest

From Friday March 30. Damen Shipyards is the new operator of French shiprepair yard Sobrena. The yard will be renamed Damen Shiprepair Brest and will continue to serve the maritime and offshore industries with shiprepair and conversion services. The yard has three drydocks (up to 420 x 80 m) and will be available for repair jobs as of Monday, April 2nd, 2012.

René Berkvens, CEO Damen Shipyards, says: “Sobrena is of great value to Damen for many reasons, in particular the expertise of its employees and its modern facilities. Damen is an established player in shiprepair and we welcome the additional experience of Sobrena’s personnel, especially when it comes to LNG Tankers. We want to be fully operational again as soon as possible. This can only be done with a motivated workforce and we look forward to continue to work with the current employees.”

According to Damen Shipyards, the acquisition fits perfectly in its long-term strategy of expanding its repair services. Mr Berkvens states that Sobrena is a long-term investment, similar to the other six repair yards along the North Sea coast.

Mr Berkvens continues: “Sobrena’s facilities are equally welcome. They have been well-maintained over the years and they are in good condition. Damen has eight repair & conversion yards worldwide and together we have 22 drydocks. As of now, we’ll have 25 docks available for our customers of which Sobrena’s largest dock measures 420 by 80 metres and is one of the largest in Europe.”

Damen Shiprepair Brest

Under its new name, Damen Shiprepair Brest, Sobrena will focus on both shiprepair and conversion of oceangoing and offshore vessels and platforms in a broad sense. Damen Shiprepair Brest will serve several markets and vessel types, such as LNG Tankers, Oil Tankers, Semi-submersibles, FPSO’s, Offshore Construction Vessels, Jack-up rigs, cruise-ships and ferries.

Mr Berkvens says: “Already both the yard in Brest and Damen Shiprepair in The Netherlands are getting requests for repair jobs. This gives us the confidence we’ve made the right decision.”

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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, April 2, 2012; Image: damen