Nauta – Compact Repair Shipyard – Full Steam Ahead

By Marek Grzybowski

Throughout the whole year of 2021, the Yard performed works on nearly 130 projects ranging from the conversions and special surveys of the vessels through emergency repairs and ending up on simple and fast inter voyage repairs. A new operational scheme was established under the name ‘A compact shipyard’ where the yard with a smaller workforce is focused on repairs and conversions of vessels. This helped us to increase our competitiveness in this sector of our activity. We do hope that year 2022 will be the last year of our struggle with the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, leading to minimizing the drop of the economic growth and in consequence rebuilding the level of transportation via sea routes to the level which had been before the pandemic.

Marek Grzybowski: The production of Nauta Shiprepair Yard was fully operational last year. It was difficult to find a place at the quays and at the docks of the Repair Shipyard in Gdynia in 2021. What ship repairs dominated in the yard? What production dominates in 2021?

Monika Kozakiewicz:  

You are right. Starting from the beginning of Q4 of 2020 Nauta has become significantly busy performing all types of ship repairs. This positive attitude remained on the same level throughout the whole year 2021. Not only the docks were full but the same applied in finding space along with the berths of Nauta. To satisfy the needs of our customers we even had to perform a couple of double – bankings of vessels.

Now coming to the details. Throughout the whole year of 2021, the Yard performed works on nearly 130 projects ranging from the conversions and special surveys of the vessels through emergency repairs and ending up on simple and fast inter voyage repairs. In addition to our activity on the merchant market Nauta performed work on the military market, however, a large drop in this segment has been observed.

The services were performed to the customers with home offices in Europe and Asia, with Germany being the largest buyer. Looking at the type of the vessel’s general cargo were the dominant, followed by crude oil/chemical tankers, container carriers, and bulkers.

It is worth emphasizing that the number of BWTS installations in Nauta is rapidly growing with only 40 installations performed last year. The sales in 2021 reached the total amount of nearly 200 Mio. PLN.

Marek Grzybowski: Shipyard “Nauta” enters 2022 after successfully implementing organizational changes as part of the restructuring plan “Kompaktowa Stocznia Remontowa”. Compact Repair Shipyard – what does it mean for customers and subcontractors? How will this affect the organization of ship repairs?

Monika Kozakiewicz:

After a couple of years of operation on a new building market which created substation loss growing every year and the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on 15th of April 2020 an accelerated arrangement proceeding of Nauta was initiated.

The aim of filing the application for commencement of accelerated arrangement proceeding was the need to protect the rights and interests of the Company and its stakeholders, including but not limited to the creditors, shareholders, and workers. Such protection was required to enable the debtor to undergo effective restructuring by making an arrangement with creditors, maintaining the Company’s business continuity, jobs, and revenues to the state budget.  

Simultaneously a new operational scheme was established under the name ‘A compact shipyard’ where the yard with a smaller workforce is focused on repairs and conversions of vessels. This helped us to increase our competitiveness in this sector of our activity.

The restructuring proceedings carried out were closed on 28^th October, 202. As a part of the proceedings, an arrangement was made with the creditors. Once again, we would like to thank all the creditors for theirs support thanks to which our restructuring process would not have been possible. In consequence of the finalized proceedings, the first repayments of debt to the creditors have been done.

Marek Grzybowski: Demand for zero-emission ships is growing. There is a growing demand for the modernization of existing ships and their propulsion systems as part of the global program to reduce CO2 emissions. What are the shipyard’s proposals for the shipowners’ expectations? Is there a growing demand for the conversion of ships to zero-emission propulsion?

Monika Kozakiewicz:  

We do hope that year 2022 will be the last year of our struggle with the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, leading to minimizing the drop of the economic growth and in consequence rebuilding the level of transportation via sea routes to the level which had been before the pandemic. This will help the shipowners to recover generated losses and prepare for significant financial investments in innovative engineering ideas and green technologies which would help to reduce the carbon emissions of their fleet. 

The solutions include:

• „all-electric” propulsion or hybrid systems– conversion of m/v NEPTUN VIKING at Nauta (conversion to hybrid propulsion system with better environmental performance);
• Paint systems with better performance as silicone type paints – MT Ridgebury Apollo – SYNERGY MARITIME (silicone painting of underwater part of the hull was conducted at Nauta last autumn);
• Optimizing of the hull lines and changing of the bulbous bow to more effective,
• Modification of propellers.

Other solutions evaluated by the industry include such solutions as hull air lubrication systems or returning to the wind power (Flettner rotors, sails, etc.). Nauta is ready to support such actions with its knowledge, 95 – year experience, and potential.