Demand for barges set to surge; USD4.5 billion market foreseen

The exhibition was opened on Monday, April 18, and will run till Wednesday, April 20.

"In the Middle East, there are plenty of wooden dhows, each with a capacity of between 300 and 2,000 tonnes. They transport about 1.5 million tonnes of cargo," said Mr P. Chakrabarty, Deputy General Manager, Chowgule and Company Limited, Goa, India.

"Dhows, though cheap compared to steel vessels, will have to make way for steel vessels in the near future because they neither have navigation equipment nor come under rules and regulations. Iran has already started the move," he added.

According to rough estimates, he said, the region will need at least 1,500 barges to replace the dhows in the years to come. These vessels will have to be built according to statutory requirements, including safety and navigation equipment, and each barge will cost anything between US$2 million and US$4 million. This translates into a US$4.5 billion market, he pointed out.

The ISO 9001-2000 certified yard, which has a fabrication capacity of 6,000 tonnes per year and a total area of 42,000 square metres, is highlighting cargo carriers, small tankers, landing craft and flat-top barges at the ongoing show.

"In the coming one-and-a-half years we will be delivering 23 inland vessels with a total cargo capacity of 47,000 DWT (dead weight) to different companies," Mr Chakrabarty said.

Bharati Shipyard Limited of India, which is undergoing a modernisation/expansion programme, is focusing on tugs, offshore vessels, cargo ships, container ships, chemical carriers, tankers, dredgers, deep seas multipurpose fishing vessels, special purpose vessels, ferries, passenger vessels and offshore patrol vessels.

The shipyard is well-equipped and capable of fabricating and erecting a number of vessels simultaneously with a wet basin that can accommodate eight vessels. The yard also has three slipways, a 58-metre span gantry crane and other mobile cranes, said Mr M.V. Rajendran, Deputy Manager, Bharati Shipyard Limited.

Gulf Maritime, featuring over 180 exhibitors from over 26 countries, is expected to generate deals worth over US$40 million in its three-day run.
The previous show, with 110 exhibitors from 23 countries, had witnessed confirmed orders to the tune of US$28 million and attracted a total of 2,785 visitors.

Some of the other prominent participants include Abu Dhabi Ship Building, the Dubai Ship Docking Yard (Al Jadaf), Al Hamra Port RAK, Al Masaood Marine & Engineering, Albwardy Marine Engineering LLC, Arab Ship Building & Repair Yard Co., Astilleros Shipyard Zamakona, Balenciaga Shipyard, Batservice Holding, Berg Propulsion Asia Pte Ltd, Berkefeld Middle East, Cummins Middle East, Damen Shipyards, Dubai Drydocks, Dubai Maritime City, Emirates Inflatable Boat Est., Government of Sharjah - Seaports Authority, Hempel Paints Qatar W.L.L, Kobelt, Mohamed Abdulrahman Al-Bahar, Nico International UAE, Radio Holland BV M.E, Reintjes Middle East LLC, Riviera Pool Middle East, Rolls-Royce, Saab Marine Middle East, Seaspray Aluminium Boats, Southern Gulf Marine Industrial Co. LLC, Tensosys FZCO, Unique Systems LLC, Wartsila, Westfalia Separator Mineral Oil Systems, Zamil Operations & Maintenance Co Ltd, Zener Electronics and ZF Marine Middle East.

A major highlight of the exhibition is the seminars and forums covering products and issues concerning the industry.

The show is organised jointly by Expo Centre Sharjah and Baird Publications of Singapore. The visitor timings are from 10am to 6pm.