Page 118 - Damen Shipyards Group

118 LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT | TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP 119

LONG LIFE AND

PROSPERITY

CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER ARNOUT DAMEN, WITH MANAGING Sea Axe Bow (the patented Damen COOL YOUR KEEL “In that respect,” rejoins Arnout, “our international network of Service Hubs
DIRECTOR HIGH SPEED CRAFT WIARD LEENDERS AND PRODUCT hull form developed in collaboration Dirk Degroote, product manager and globally available fl eet of engineers also play their part in making sure
MANAGER TUGS DIRK DEGROOTE, TALKS ABOUT DELIVERING with the Technical University of Delft Tugs, agrees with the assessment that that Damen clients face the absolute minimal downtime in their operations.”
DAMEN’S GOAL OF LOW TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP OVER THE in the Netherlands) feature improved standardisation drives low total cost
LIFETIME OF A VESSEL. seakeeping and less resistance in the of ownership. “Our tugs draw on the INCOME GENERATION
water. As a result, the Axe Bow is proven experience of the entire Damen fl eet Wiard: “Indeed, a good part of our work towards lower OPEX is not
When it comes to purchasing a vessel, Damen’s chief commercial offi cer OTAL COST OF to offer reduced fuel consumption of up and incorporate the improvements of about minimising costs, but maximising performance. The longer the
Arnout Damen urges buyers to look beyond the initial outlay. TOWNERSHIP IS AN to 20%.” successive generations, so reliability vessel can operate comfortably, the more income it generates for the
“There are Damen vessels still in operation today that were built in the IMPORTANT PART OF is assured. Low maintenance is also a customer. This is where our focus lies.”
1970s. Given a lifespan as long as this, it makes sense to consider the THE DESIGN CRITERIA BALANCING POWER WITH feature. As an example, on the ASD Tug
costs of the total operation, not only the capital costs. It often transpires, FOR HIGH SPEED PERFORMANCE, WEIGHT WITH SPEED 2312 we have incorporated fresh water Within this area of focus are numerous elements – widening windows
especially with a Damen vessel, that the total cost of ownership, over the CRAFT. IT IS, IN FACT, Managing director High Speed Craft keel cooling channels. It’s a simple system of operability based on weather windows and increasing safety and on
lifetime of the product, can easily offset the cost of initial investment.” Wiard Leenders: “Total cost of ownership without the need for box coolers or ICAF board comfort to name a few. (You can read in detail about safety and
THE REASON FOR
THE DEVELOPMENT is an important part of the design criteria (Impressed Current Anti-Fouling) anodes well-being on board Damen High Speed Craft and Tugs on page 92).
LOW OPEX AS STANDARD OF SOME OF OUR for High Speed Craft. It is, in fact, the It’s a system that has already proven itself UR
The reasons that this applies notably to Damen vessels are many and PRODUCTS reason for the development of some of the world over on Stan Tugs, so we have OINTERNATIONAL DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT
varied. For one thing, Damen takes care to ensure the high quality of its our products – such as those providing absolute confi dence in optimising it for NETWORK OF SERVICE With the increasing digitalisation of the maritime industry, new tools are
facilities, wherever in the world it builds, ensuring high quality welding marine access solutions. higher power on ASD Tugs. HUBS AND GLOBALLY becoming available that assist with reducing fuel consumption, lowering
and painting, for example. Perhaps though, the key element here is the AVAILABLE FLEET OF maintenance requirements and maximising vessel uptime. Damen has
process of standardised shipbuilding. “For us, speed, capacity and reliability are “I tend to see that the clients really see the ENGINEERS ALSO PLAY been quick to embrace the new technology, implementing such things as
all crucial components. From an OPEX return on their investment with a Damen THEIR PART IN MAKING remote monitoring with Damen Digital.
“With standardisation, we develop a product and improve it over perspective, one of our challenges is vessel during their fi fth year – at the fi ve- SURE THAT DAMEN
successive generations, with the result that it proves its reliability. to reach the maximum speed with the year survey. Our aim is that this should CLIENTS FACE THE Arnout: “Damen Digital includes the remote monitoring of fuel
Everyone knows what the vessel’s capabilities are because there are other minimum amount of installed power. be a time of simple maintenance, not a ABSOLUTE MINIMAL consumption patterns to promote effi cient sailing. It also paves the
examples of its kind, performing consistently and providing a benchmark. The amount of power not only affects massive overhaul and my experience is DOWNTIME IN THEIR way to extending periods between maintenance, based on accurate
That being the case, Damen vessels have a high re-sale value. the weight of the vessel, it impacts fuel that the quality of the vessel, at this stage, OPERATIONS. monitoring of such things as fuel and oil quality and parts performance.
OU CAN SEE THIS consumption, which we aim to keep as low can already offset the expenditure of the Similar practice has already had much success in the automotive industry
“This is not only good when you want to sell your boat, but also for the YWITH DAMEN as possible. To that end, we conduct quite initial capital investment.” where the additional in-depth knowledge provided by remote monitoring
buyer – with the product offering a tangible performance, the banks also TUGS. THEIR SMOOTH some research, often in collaboration with has brought a lot of success in cost-saving and maximising uptime. We
know what they are looking at and are happier to fi nance the investment.” LINES CREATE LESS institutes such as the TU Delft and MARIN GLOBAL SUPPORT are maintaining a close eye on digital developments as we foresee
RESISTANCE AND (Maritime Research Institute Netherlands). Wiard agrees: “For all systems and digitalisation will further increase opportunities to bring OPEX down in
AXING FUEL CONSUMPTION STIMULATE LOWER As a result, our vessels have developed sub-systems we apply A-brand materials the future.
The features of Damen’s standard vessels also play their part in reducing FUEL USAGE. a reputation for low, predictable fuel and components. This not only reduces
the cost of operations over the lifecycle of the vessel. Again, examples consumption combined with excellent maintenance, it makes it more predictable. “We are always looking to further develop our performance, collecting
are legion, but the attention that Damen pays to designing effi cient hull seakeeping, particularly in higher sea And, if maintenance is necessary, our use valuable feedback from our clients and industry and incorporating it into
forms plays its part in considerably reducing fuel consumption. states.” of high quality materials ensures the easy the continual development of our products. We operate on the basis that
availability of spare parts.” there is always room for improvement. However, we are proud of what
“You can see this with Damen Tugs. Their smooth lines create less we have achieved to date and I feel confi dent in saying that you can earn
resistance and stimulate lower fuel usage. Also, vessels that have the more money with a Damen boat. It’s not the cheapest, but it is the best,”
concludes Arnout.