Meeting all requirements regarding quality, safety and the environment, Damen Shipyards Antalya has secured comprehensive ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification. This achievement coincides with a period of rapid expansion that has seen the addition of three new production halls within the space of two years.
“These certifications confirm the quality of our production processes,” comments Damen Shipyards Antalya Managing Director Auke van der Zee. “They also show our commitment to safe and clean working practices. It is this dedication to quality that our customers expect from Damen.” Moreover, the yard attained these valuable endorsements of quality within a period of six months; the shortest amount of time a company in Turkey has achieved this.
Skills diversification
Damen Shipyards Antalya opened in 2013 after the purchase of the Cyrus yard by Damen Shipyards Group. Since then the yard has continued to develop and build vessels up to 35 metres in length. Despite being best known for specialising in composite vessel construction, Damen Shipyards Antalya added steel and aluminium vessel fabrication to its list of capabilities last year with the addition of two new production halls. Production subsequently increased: the three sites delivered 54 ships in 2015 (an increase of more than 20 compared to the previous year).
Importantly, this rise in production was accompanied by an increasing number of vessel types under production. “The diversity of vessels that we build here is shown best by the fact that there are currently seven different types of ships in the water here,” highlights Van der Zee. These vessels include Damen’s Stan Pilot 1505, Stan Pilot 1605, Stan Patrol 1605, Interceptor 1503, Interceptor 1102, Fast Crew Supplier 5009 and the Search and Rescue Vessel 1906. Furthermore, the yard is also equipped to build various examples from Damen’s Public Transport range.
Future thinking
The yard’s expansion continued this year too with the inauguration of a fourth production hall. "With this new building location, we have further expanded our capacity for steel and aluminium vessel construction,” says Van der Zee. “We can now build an even wider range of vessels, including larger ferries and Fast Yacht Support vessels. “If you look at how much we have achieved in such a short time, I'm very curious to see what we will accomplish over the next three and a half years.”
