Fujairah Collage

Fujairah Collage
Some distinctive landmarks in Fujairah

Friday, September 4, 2009

Boat Building Industry Sinking in Fujairah

Shakir Husain of Maktoob Business reports:

Fazel A. Fazelbhoy, CEO of UAE-based Topaz Energy and Marine, said fresh orders for boats are desperately needed to kick-start the faltering industry as ship builders and owners struggle to survive.

“No one is placing orders for new vessels unless they are specifically being built against a (winning) tender,” Fazelbhoy told Maktoob Business.

Topaz uses shipyards in Southeast Asia and China for building offshore support vessels, but operates manufacturing facilities in the UAE emirates of Abu Dhabi and Fujairah for smaller crew and work boats.

In the Gulf, where the market mostly deals in smaller vessels, boat builders who had received bookings last year can remain busy until the end of this year, but they need fresh orders to remain in business next year, he said.

The Topaz facilities in Fujairah and Abu Dhabi each have seven boats under construction, but new orders are not on the horizon.

“Frankly speaking for the last eight months there have been no new orders (in Fujairah). We are fortunate that we have got a long production backlog so we are not affected immediately,” Fazelbhoy said.

For more on this subject:
Shakir Husain, Support Vessel Orders Dry Up Amid Downturn, Maktoob Business, 2 September 2009.

On Related Sites
Freej: The Bright Star in the UAE Film Firmament, Experiencing the Emirates, 4 September 2009.

Coming Second or Losing in the America’s Cup, America’s Cup in the UAE, 4 September 2009.

Dr Geoff Pound

Geoff can be contacted by email at geoffpound(at)gmail.com on Facebook and Twitter.

Ask him for details about advertizing and links on his sites.

Image: “For the last eight months there have been no new orders in Fujairah.”

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