Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar" Signs A Contract To Build A Luxury YACHT

Doha , March 19 (QNA) -Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ) has signed a contract for building a 69- mtr.long luxury and speedy yacht. The yacht will be built entirely in the State of Qatar and in favour of the state. The yacht contracting agreement was signed here on Tuesday by HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Fahd Al Thani, the Minister of State, and Mohammad Ghannam , the president of Nakilat - Damen , a subsidiary of Qatar Shipping Company (Nakilat). HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Fahd Al Thani, expressed his pride for the great achievement, which represents an important stop in achieving the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, pointing out that the presence of integrated shipping industry in Qatar will play a key role in the process of future development in the state, noting that "this is the first yachet of this kind to be built in Qatar and in favour of Qatar. " For his part, president of Nakilat - Damen Mohammad Ghannam said that Nakilat was given a great chance to carry out such an outstanding project to build the aforesaid yacht where the said company will continue working to prove to the entire world the state's potentials in shipbuilding sector. He stressed the complete commitment of Nakilat-Damen to work on realizing qatar vision related to the need to bring about a world , outstanding and advanced shipbuilding yard in the State of Qatar. Nakilat and Damen plan to build ships as big as 120 metres in length, including luxury yachts and coast guard boats, at the Ras Laffan port north of Doha, Ghannam said. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding in March. Nakilat, the transporter of liquefied natural gas for the world's biggest-producer of the fuel, is venturing into shipbuilding to expand revenue sources as it completes the acquisition of 25 tankers by next year. Nakilat has also formed a venture with Singapore's Keppel Corp to operate a dry dock at Ras Laffan for the repair and maintenance of LNG tankers. It is worth to mention that NDSQ, Qatar Gas Transport Company, popularly known as Nakilat, plans to start building marine vessels in the first half of next year in a venture with Damen Shipyards Group BN of the Netherlands, as the LNG shipper seeks to expand its revenue sources, wire agencies has reported. It is noted that Nakilat is the world s leading transporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and DAMEN is a global leader in shipbuilding. Jointly they operate a world-class and state-of-the-art facility capable of building ships in steel, aluminum or GRP with a length of up to 170m. Vessels manufactured by NDSQ feature DAMEN s proven shipbuilding designs and its industry-leading standards for quality in all aspects of the manufacturing process. Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ) was established in 2010. Located in the Port of Ras Laffan in the North Eastern corner of Qatar, the yard is ideally located in the middle of the Arabian Gulf. The shipyard is a joint venture between Qatar Gas Transport Company Ltd. (Nakilat) and Damen Shipyards Qatar Holding BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Damen Shipyards Group. NDSQ is capable of building ships in steel or aluminum with a length of up to 170 m. NDSQ is a joint venture between Nakilat and Dutch shipbuilding group Damen Shipyards. NDSQ began operations in 2010 and builds ships in steel, aluminum and GRP, up to 170m in length. Projects recently completed by NDSQ include the 140m barge Al Ghatroushah and three mooring boats for the Port of Mesaieed.(QNA)