Singapore’s Shipyard Facilities Driving Asian Superyacht Scene Forward
With a need for regional dry-docking and repair facilities for Superyachts whilst in Asian waters, Singapore is an appealing option. Being located at crossroads of Asia's best cruising destinations, it is proving to be the ideal stop-off point to carry out required maintenance and repairs.
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Singapore’s Dry-Dock Revolution for Superyachts
Author: YH Fang
Images: Yachting Singapore
Ship repair in Singapore dates back to when the first dry dock was built in 1859. Due to the policy pursued by the government in the late sixties, the ship repair business became more international. By the mid-seventies, Singapore was firmly established as a major international ship repair centre, particularly for larger, more sophisticated vessels. It has maintained its leading position in the world since then.
The ship repair industry has grown in tandem with the development of port facilities. The first container terminal was built in 1969 and has propelled Singapore into the global league. Singapore was the first country in Southeast Asia with a container port. It has since grown to become one of the busiest and most connected in the world, with more than 150,000 ship calls per annum.
Over the last 40 years, Singapore has evolved from a small regional ship repair and building centre into a world-class shipping centre that serves international clientele. The industry includes ship repair, conversion, shipbuilding, rig building, offshore engineering, and a full range of marine supporting services. Very soon, it will add yacht repair and refit to its list as most medium-sized shipyards race towards acquiring the business knowhow for the challenges ahead.
Globally, Singapore is renowned for its comprehensive range of reliable marine services, providing a one-stop marine centre for shipowners, managers and agents around the world. There are at least 1,000 home grown small- and medium-sized enterprises that have been established, supporting conglomerates such as Keppel and Sembcorp Marine. The marine industry is successful because productivity is high and processes are efficient. These processes include shipyard safety, customs procedures for importation of parts as well as immigration policies for employment of engineers and skilled technicians from overseas.
With the growth in superyacht visits to the area and demand for class survey, maintenance and haul-out facilities, many medium-sized shipyards have started to pay notice to the needs of these white boats and are making changes to pursue yacht business. The complete switch from commercial to white boats is not expected to take place any time soon as commercial ship repair is still a viable and lucrative business. However, shipyards are adapting their existing facilities and infrastructure, such as graving and floating docks, to provide better protection for superyachts against air pollution. They are also training the workforce and providing service-oriented skill upgrades to mid-management personnel to help them adapt to yacht clients while retaining their core-competency.
Moving forward, shipyards here are also looking for strategy alliances with yacht builders and providing quick-docking facilities for emergency repairs. Shipyards in Singapore have the advantage of solid engineering foundations and a conducive business climate to provide world-class service to superyacht owners. The tenacity of these shipyards will ensure that the new business venture will prevail, just as they made Singapore one of the world’s premier ship repair and ship conversion centres and a global leader in the building of jack-up rigs and the conversion of FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) units. However, shipyards here would not be going after every available job in the market. The sweet spot is in the 60 – 120m range, where quick turnaround time is key factor to success.
YH Fang of Yachting Singapore is one of the main driving forces behind todays Singaporean Superyacht Industry. Yachting Singapore handle dry-dock and refit services, acting as principle organisers for Superyacht Captains wishing to haul-out for repair and refit works. Full spectrum agency services are also provided by Fang and his team.
Fang can be contacted on email fang@yachtingsingapore.com or visit their website https://yachtingsingapore.com for further information.