UAE: Drydocks World Launches New Initiatives in Environmental Management

Drydocks World and Maritime World has implemented several new initiatives and deployed new highly advanced environmental friendly technologies.

Drydocks World and Maritime World has recently embarked on a ‘ZERO HARM’ health, safety and environmental initiative which envisages ZERO fatalities, ZERO injuries and ZERO environmental damage,strengthening its commitment to a safe and healthy workplace that will be rolled out over the coming weeks. Drydocks World- Dubai Lost Time Injury (LTI) rate has been continually improving every year. In 2011, the Dubai yard had achieved 0.55 lost time injury rate per million man-hours worked.

Additionally “Think Safety, Act Safety, Work Safety – Taking Safety Personally” 2012 campaign, has been initiated to further improve incident rates and reinforce positive behaviours and strengthen the safety culture across the Group. A number of initiatives, which includes ‘Zero Harm’ pledge, posters, awareness training, performance assessment and road signage, have already been initiated.

Moreover, the shipyard has recently been re-certified to ISO 14000 1by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) and has an Environment Management System that ensures that the environmental impact if any is continually reduced.

“We are proud of our credentials in Environment Management and Occupational Health & Safety and have done exceptionally well in implementing strategies aimed at improving the well-being of our human resources and the environment they work in. As a result of these we are one of the few shipyards which has been recognised and acknowledged by global companies for propagating a safe and healthy work environment that is of the highest order. We believe in continual improvement and operational excellence as we pledge to achieve optimum productivity levels and the highest health, safety and security and environment standards,” said Khamis Juma Buamim, Chairman of Drydocks World and Maritime World.

The initiative aims to implement strict standards of minimizing air pollution, in effect making it “Zero”; the environment friendly Chariot Robotics Envirobots, the state-of-the-art automated system for surface preparation, at the yard. The advanced robotic operation facilitates clean and highly efficient removal of heavy duty marine and industrial coating. The Envirobot employs ultra high pressure water to strip coatings, and has a vacuum system to collect effluent from the paint removal process for disposal. It is magnetically attached to steel surfaces and is navigated with a wireless remote control.

The robot can remove coatings at a rate of 500 to 3000 sq. ft. per hour. The system has significant advantages over grit blasting. These include higher productivity, lower manpower usage, ensuring workers’ safety, minimizing processed waste and protecting the marine and natural environment.Other environment-friendly improvements are also being implemented such ashalogen lights onboard and at the dock bottom replaced with LED lights, refrigerant gas recovery unit for maintenance work, new filtration system for plasma cutting machines and air monitoring units. These are in addition to the already existing largest indoor painting and blasting shed in the Middle East and a wastewater treatment plant.

[mappress]
Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, May 14, 2012