History was made in 2004 as BHP Billiton’s Kairi I platform became the first ever offshore structure to be fabricated locally at the La Brea Industrial Development Company Limited (LABIDCO) facilities at Brighton, La Brea. In 2011, we have done it again! At 7 a.m. on 20 April 2011, the NEC Queen sailed into the LABIDCO Dock on the high tide to become the first ever vessel to dry dock at the Fabrication Yard Facility in La Brea. 

The dock itself is part of the historic Port of Brighton where the first shipment of crude oil was exported from the old Brighton jetty in 1911. Now, 100 years later, the Port is still breaking new ground.

In accordance with modern maintenance standards, NEC’s marine vessels undergo dry docking surveys and repairs to hull and machinery every two and a half years. In the past, NEC’s options for dry docking were limited to Chaguaramas or the South American mainland in Suriname. In conducting these works at La Brea, NEC has made a significant innovative step forward for the local shipping industry. NEC has effectively opened up an alternative facility for dry docking in south Trinidad.

Carrying out dry docking at La Brea has significant benefits for NEC. Firstly, this initiative is aligned to the Company’s overall market development strategy, in which we have been introducing our services (e.g. towage services, energy sector expertise) to new markets. Through this exercise, the existing facility has been launched into a new market, which comes with tremendous growth potential.

Another major benefit of this venture is the investment in local content – both for the community of La Brea and the national community. Through this activity NEC is promoting the optimal use of in-country human resources, materials, services and facilities. This is in line with the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs’ criteria for evaluating new projects. The new policy dictates that all new ventures must facilitate local capacity building which is crucial for our economic well-being and future sustainability.

The dry docking contract was awarded to Trinidad Offshore Fabricators Unlimited (TOFCO) through the competitive tendering process. TOFCO, a joint venture between Chet Morrison Contractors, a subsidiary of Morrison Energy Group of the USA, and Weldfab Limited from Trinidad, has been successfully operating the Fabrication Yard Facility for the past eight years. They are now taking on a new challenge as they seek to transfer their expertise in the field of general and piping fabrication, sandblasting and painting into ship repair and maintenance.

It is expected that considerable synergies would arise from this undertaking as NEC’s 30-plus years of experience in the shipping industry is merged with TOFCO’s high standards of quality in marine construction. In the process, new standards of performance and efficiency will undoubtedly emerge.

The Queen was returned to the water on 17 May 2011, the dry docking having been completed in 18 working days. Michelle Scipio-Hosang, Manager – Towage & Harbour Operations, praised the joint Project Management team, saying: “Ezekiel Ramlal, NEC’s on-site supervisor, and Ryan Mathura, TOFCO’s project manager, worked well together in scheduling and implementing these works in a structured manner. As a result, we have been able to achieve the highest quality dry-docking in the Queen’s history and we have done it in record time.” Dry docking will be carried out on two tugs – the NEC Industry and the NEC Legacy – over the next two months.

Before and after of the vessel with Ezekiel Ramlal, Port Engineer responsible for the repair works.