PaxOcean, a unit of Singapore’s Kuok, has signed a technical service agreement with French LNG containment giant GTT, enabling it to repair LNG carriers at its yards in Batam, Indonesia.
According to a statement by PaxOcean, the agreement would enable the firm to expand its repair scope by providing membrane tank maintenance and servicing of LNG carriers in PaxOcean Batam.
This is the first Indonesian yard approved by GTT.
Facilities at PaxOcean Batam yards include five floating docks, with the largest dock measuring 300 meters by 59 meters that can accommodate vessels up to suezmax category, capesize bulk carriers, and LNG carriers up to 145,000 cbm capacity.
The workshops include a cryogenic complex fitted to handle repairs of LNG carrier cargo handling equipment and fittings, the firm said.
Prior to the signing the technical service agreement, GTT performed two audits to ensure that the yard could meet the necessary requirements to undertake repairs and conversion of a membrane type LNG carrier, PaxOcean said.
The shipyard would also benefit from a dedicated training of its personnel and advisory services for the preparation of each maintenance operation, it said.
PaxOcean owns and operates five shipyards located in Singapore, China, and Indonesia.
On the other hand, GTT received record 134 orders in the January-September period of this year, with most of them coming from South Korea but with a rising share from China.
GTT also recently signed technical service agreements with China’s Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard, CMHI Jiangsu, and Yangzijiang as it continues to expand its business in Asia.