A-Berth: Quay to Success for DCD Marine Cape Town

The Port of Cape Town’s A-Berth, currently co-leased by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), will, in May 2014, become the sole domain of DCD Marine Cape Town, further strengthening the company’s position as a leading player in the global ship repair industry.

For DCD Marine Cape Town, sole use of the recently upgraded A-Berth will enhance its capacity to offer a full turnkey service to its clients, both local and international.

“The size and infrastructural capacity of A-Berth, as well as its strategic location on one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, make it an important part of our ability to offer a complete one-stop service to our clients,” says Gerry Klos, General Manager of DCD Marine Cape Town.

With a 275 meter long quay, A-Berth is designed to berth vessels with a draft of up to 12 meters. It offers a total laydown area of 45 000 m2, a warehouse facility of 2 760 m2 and office space of 1 000 m2. A-Berth has an on-site 350-ton crawler crane which is complemented by a number of mobile cranes ranging from 16 up to 800 ton capacities. Dedicated canteen and ablution facilities complete the offering.

“Our clients rate A-Berth extremely favourably because of what it offers them in terms of strategically-located facilities and convenience. Its location in Cape Town is also of pivotal importance, as the city boasts all the necessary amenities, access to support companies, and generally superb infrastructure for international shipping clients.”

DCD Marine Cape Town, one of the most established and experienced ship repair companies in South Africa, has successfully project-managed several large-scale projects in the upstream oil and gas sector over the years. With over a hundred years’ experience in the ship repair industry, the company services semi-submersible drill rigs, drill ships offshore support vessels, barges and seismic vessels.

“Based on feedback from clients and post-project analyses, we have a solid track record as a reliable, project-driven organisation, with a wealth of experience in managing large-scale repair and conversion projects end-to-end, using internationally-accredited facilities. A-Berth is another reason our clients come back to us,” he asserts.

The A-Berth project portfolio includes work completed on the new generation drill ship Deepsea Metro II, the semi-submersible drilling rigs Ensco 5001, Ensco 5003 as well as the Scarabeo 3. November 2013 will see the arrival of the Scarabeo 7 at A-Berth which shall be undergoing her special periodic survey (SPS).

“While a small portion of our clientele is local, we are mainly competing on an international scale. Being able to offer a world-class service is vital to the future of the company, as well as to South Africa’s standing in the global ship repair industry. Exclusive use of A-Berth in the future will further enhance DCD Marine Cape Town’s capacity to successfully compete in this industry,” Klos concludes.

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Press Release,November 4, 2013