Namdock unlocks its capacity, docks first client on first day of opening
The Walvis Bay drydock operator, Namdock, is slowly pulling itself up by its bootstraps, having survived a devastating three-year recession and now the carnage of the lockdown. This week, Namdock announced it is fully operational again as of 05 May 2020 and even docked its first vessel on the same day.
Namdock acting Chief Executive, Heritha Nankole Muyoba reported that the company’s repair and maintenance yard is fully operational again while a strict regime of preventative measures has been put in place. This is monitored continuously to ensure the safety of both staff and clients.
“Over the past few weeks we have put strict personal protection and sanitisation measures in place, to ensure that we could safely resume full-capacity operations when the time came. Our first priority is always the health and wellbeing of our valued staff and clients, and all business operations are conducted according to those priorities,” said Nankole Muyoba.
The drydock operator now also requires foreign vessels to anchor in quarantine outside the port for two weeks but this can be reduced or waived depending on the time the vessel spent on the open sea.
Regarding the practicalities of social distancing repair crews, Nankole Muyoba said they are following all recommendations and protocols as directed by the government; and by the Namibian Ports Authority. The company has drafted and implemented a comprehensive response plan to deal with the contingencies of the lockdown.
Despite the impact of the collapse in crude prices on the offshore industry, the company is confident that it will soon generate enough work through its combined approach of servicing container, cargo, fishing and military vessels, and the occasional oil rig.
“With our extensive general engineering, welding and fabrication facilities and expertise, we are equally well-positioned to service coastal mining and other sectors,” said Nankole Muyoba.
At this challenging time in which business locally and globally has been hugely affected and is scrambling to resume, she reiterated that the company’s clients can rest assured that its core values of trust, excellence and integrity are unwavering. “We will continue to abide by our ethos and values, remaining transparent and providing our valued stakeholders with updates as we receive them.”
