Heavy-lift specialist Mammoet plans to develop a new ship repair facility in the Canadian port of Argentia in collaboration with two partners. At the heart of the project is a modular, floating dry dock.
The Dutch heavy-lift specialist Mammoet is pressing ahead with the expansion of its maritime activities in Canada. Together with the port operator Port of Argentia and the investment company Argentia Capital, the company has signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a floating dry dock with an attached shiprepair facility. The Port of Argentia is situated on Placentia Bay in the south-east of the Canadian island of Newfoundland.
At the heart of the project is the so-called Tugdock Submersible Platform (TSP), a modular dry-dock system from Mammoet’s subsidiary Tugdock Submersible Platforms. The floating platform can be scaled as required and is therefore intended to offer a flexible alternative to conventional dry docks.
The planned facility is intended to be available to commercial vessels as well as government and military units. The project partners cite, amongst others, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Navy, as well as companies from the offshore oil and gas industry and the offshore wind sector.
Existing port infrastructure is to be utilised
The Port of Argentia already has a conventional dry dock, deep waterways and ice-free berths. In addition, there are large industrial sites designed to enable year-round operations.
Mammoet is already active at the site. The company has been involved in projects for the offshore wind industry, amongst other things, and is based on the site of the former Cenovus dry dock.
“By combining our technical expertise and Tugdock’s adaptable platform with the port’s strategic infrastructure, we see significant potential for establishing a competitive operation for ship repair and maintenance services,” explained Jeremy Asher, Managing Director at Mammoet.
The project partners now intend to press ahead with plans for a facility that can be used by several clients. A formal expression of interest process is due to be launched in the coming months. They are seeking an internationally experienced operator who can take over the running of the facility and support the expansion of maritime services at the site.
The companies have not yet provided any details regarding the investment volume, the start of construction or the planned commissioning date. Nor have the technical dimensions and capacities of the planned dry dock been disclosed.
Port of Argentia, a former US naval base, has developed into an important logistics and industrial hub. The port, which remains ice-free all year round, has more than 630 m of quay length and can handle vessels up to 300 m in length. Alongside the handling of containers, bulk cargo and heavy-lift cargo, the offshore industry in particular is playing an increasingly important role. On more than 70 ha of paved area, items such as foundations for US offshore wind farms are temporarily stored and prepared for onward transport. Argentia also serves as a supply hub for the oil and gas industry.
