Oman Drydock, UK firm to jointly develop naval capability in Duqm

Muscat: Oman Drydock Company and Babcock International Group, the leading UK engineering services and FTSE 100 Company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at jointly developing a naval capability in Duqm.
It followed a period of concentrated efforts to bring together Oman Drydock’s commercial shipyard and Babcock’s international naval support expertise, with a vision to create a joint venture capable of providing local and international navies with world-class engineering services in such a strategic location.
“We are glad with the growing demand on the maritime services provided by our company to its clients from different countries. This agreement is an affirmation of our commitment to continue in achieving more excellence in meeting the market needs with the expectations of customers,” said Dr Abdulmalik bin Abdullah Al Hinai, chairman of Oman Drydock.
“We are delighted to be Oman Drydock’s chosen partner to establish this joint naval capability. The achievement of this first milestone in an important positive step towards our common goal, and we are fully committed to continue to develop this initiative, hand in hand with Oman Drydock, into future operational and growth phases,” said Mike Whalley, support director of Babcock Warship.
“This agreement consolidates the strategy to expand the scope of Oman Dry Dock services to reach a wider customer segment locally and internationally. We seek to implement the best international practices in the maritime sector through specialised quality service for commercial and naval customers, in constant pursuit to be best shipyard in the region,” added Dr Ahmed Al Abri, deputy chief executive officer for Operations of Oman Drydock.
The Special Economic Zone in Duqm (SEZD) has seen extensive development over recent years, and this opportunity will contribute to bring yet another business stream into the region.