UAE-based NicoCraft, part of Nico International, has launched its first vessel, the Nemo, just 18 months after beginning operations.
With this, the region’s leading ship repairer has branched out into boat construction as the Middle East witnesses an unprecedented level of demand for working boats of all descriptions.
The19-metre aluminium catamaran diving support vessel has been launched at a time when the growth in Middle East ship and boat building is being driven by higher oil prices. With oil now back at around $70 per barrel, many offshore projects are now even more cost-effective, in addition to increasing global demand.
The Nemo, built at NicoCraft’s new yard in Fujairah, will provide a platform to expand its diving operations in the Middle East, which include hull cleaning, propeller polishing, class approved underwater surveys, anchor recovery and salvage operations.
Peter Tinker, NicoCraft operations manager, said: “We aim to offer the region state of the art, locally built vessels, with the very latest designs in passenger ferries, crew boats and patrol craft, for which currently there is an unprecedented level of demand in the Middle East region.”
“Our main focus has been to establish new concepts in the boat industry, offering increased deck space and higher operational speeds coupled with increased fuel efficiencies,” he added.
Tinker claims the Nemo “radically changes the thinking of prospective new build buyers currently considering purchasing crew boats, ferries or patrol boats.”
NicoCraft has a strong partnership with Teknicraft Design of New Zealand, to establish a significant presence in the regional offshore support vessel market.
“On the ferry side we are catering for the growing demand for offshore ferries, a market where Teknicraft has been extremely successful all over the world, with its stable, fuel efficient design, that offers good and safe sea keeping characteristics,” Tinker said. “We also have in our portfolio some very effective high speed, shallow draft, patrol boat platforms that we believe, given time, will benefit from and assist the current expansion of offshore developments within the region.”
NicoCraft also has a 30 metre catamaran crew boat under construction claimed to have no other vessel comparable in its class. The vessel boasts a 130 metre load deck area, supports a dead weight of 50 tons and seats 35 passengers in first class ferry comfort. In addition, NicoCraft has secured orders for three 30 metre crew boats of Teknicraft’s latest catamaran design.
Nico International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Topaz Energy and Marine, one of the region’s leading energy and marine service providers. -TradeArabia News Service