The Business Year Special Report
Rado Antolovic, CEO, Dubai Drydocks World (DDW) & Dubai Maritime City (DMC) • Interview
DDW is committed to building innovative and collaborative solutions to meet the demands of the energy industry.
What are DDW’s expansion plans, and how do they align with DP World’s growth strategy?
We are focused on our customer value proposition: to deliver customized innovation and operational efficiency that enhances our clients’ business and meets their specific objectives. In order to make our product and service offering more efficient and effective, DMC was merged with DP World UAE, with the exception of the shipyard and repair services department. The maritime services division of DP World is led by P&O Maritime, a premier maritime solutions provider to governments, businesses, and organizations across seven continents. Innovation is pivotal to the group’s growth strategy. We provide a one-stop solution for all new build, conversion, repair, and upgrade requirements. We keep trade flowing with maritime services.
In what ways does sustainability factor into DDW’s operations?
DDW has a diverse service offering for the marine, oil and gas, and renewable industries. This diversification helps us be sustainable and better react to market’s requirements. Global growth in offshore wind energy will continue to accelerate. As the offshore renewable market expands, technological advancement and innovation will result in continuous improvements and investments in the sector. DDW is a specialist in constructing large-scale renewable offshore projects, and a big achievement for the yard was completing the Borwin Gamma high-voltage direct current (HVDC) Platform topside for Petrofac, Siemens, and Tennet in 2018. This 900-MW platform can transmit enough electricity to power 1 million households. Borwin Gamma took over 13.5 million working-hours to construct and the project, and DDW set a record for completing the heaviest loadout in the UAE on the 21,000-ton structure. The yard also previously built DolWin Beta, the world’s largest high-voltage alternating current platform. Also, we recently began work on a 700-MW HVAC transformer station topside, named Hollandse Kust Zuid Alpha, the first of its kind to be constructed in the Middle East.
What role does technology and innovation play at DDW?
Digital disruption permeates the service offering of companies, including their operations and maintenance. From customer dashboards providing real-time operations insight to using data for vessel optimization or yard enhancements, we see IT as a driver of both the topline growth and cost reductions. Our IT systems are being updated to enhance our operations and enable clients to track progress in the yard. Continuous efforts to upgrade and innovate processes and machinery at our facility enable us to stay ahead of the competition. For example, the Robotic Profiling Machine RPC1200S was introduced to the yard in 2019. By incorporating new emerging technologies and meeting our digitalization goals, we will achieve our ambition of remaining competitive and preserving the UAE’s global reputation as a maritime destination of choice.
How is technology facilitating and enhancing synergies across business lines?
Dubai hosts the largest single-company operated port in the world, and all the vessels require maintenance and refits that can be provided within the group. Our yard benefits from this demand. We assess opportunities across all teams and decide where certain opportunities fit best from both an execution and strategic perspective. DDW is constructing the first IMO Tier-III-compliant tug in the Mediterranean for P&O Reyser in the Port of Barcelona. Together, DDW and P&O Reyser are building on synergies, with environmental conservation and safety at the forefront. We have a large network of stakeholders, vendors, and subcontractors that support each business line in the maritime services division.
How is innovation changing the human capital and expertise needed by the industry?
Improvements in the skill composition of our workforce is important for the yard’s productivity and growth. We are training and hiring a multi-skilled workforce that can deliver innovative solutions to meet all client requirements. We are committed to developing our people as they are our most valuable asset and bring our projects to life. We promote a culture of zero harm to prioritize the integrity of our workforce, assets, and the environment.