The tugboats Damen is building for the Egyptian Navy are Stan Tug 2208 models, which are 22 metres long, 8 metres wide and with a bollard pull of about 40 tons. Damen delivered the first one at the beginning of November, with the rest to follow at the end of 2009 and the middle of 2010. During construction, Damen has intensive interaction with delegations from Egypt.  A number of Egyptian inspectors are permanently assigned to each ship, and they closely monitor the construction process. Once a vessel is ready, after five months of construction, it must undergo thorough and rigorous testing attended by Egyptian inspectors.

According to Ronald Maat, “The crew members and officers receive a total of two weeks of intensive training from us. The training comprises several trainees who are trained using simulation techniques, and who receive training on the electrical systems and undergo a “captain’s course,” while the vessel’s technical staff are provided engine-related training.” Damen always asks its customers to review its training programmes, and the same request was made of the Egyptians. “We scored a 9.8 out of a possible 10. We were very pleased, because customer satisfaction is our number-one priority.”

Leading shipyards are entering the fast-growing wind power industry, seeking new revenue sources to offset a lingering downturn in the shipmaking business.

Shipbuilders are expected to have an edge in the emerging offshore wind power sector with their expertise in marine structures.

Daewoo earlier this year bought Dewind, a wind power turbine unit of U.S. Composite Technology Corp.

A Daewoo spokesman said the company was considering building a plant to manufacture wind power equipment in China to secure a production base in the one of the world’s top wind power markets.

“We are trying to move quickly before the Chinese government tightens entry rules for foreign players,” he said.

The Maeil Business Newspaper said Daewoo’s planned Chinese plant could begin production at the end of 2010, citing a source at the company.

Larger rival Hyundai Heavy Industries recently began production of wind power gears at its South Korean plant.

On my visit to the shipyard, the ship’s gleaming white turrets of steel and glass dwarf the gantries and cranes perched alongside. Though the ship is 95 per cent finished, many fittings are missing and, as I move through the interior, I continually have to duck wiring, step over cabling and avoid workmen.

I get a better sense of the size of Oasis only when I emerge on the top deck, which provides view over Turku harbour.

“We made the ship 50 per cent bigger than anything we’ve ever done, in fact any other cruise ship out there, because we had so many things we wanted to do,” the chief executive of Royal Caribbean, Richard Fain, says. “On Oasis of the Seas, working together with the architects, with the shipyard, with our own engineers, we’ve been able to make much better use of the space than ever before.”

There’s certainly plenty of space – the ship is 360 metres long and 65 metres wide. The Oasis story is one of large numbers and cruising firsts.

There is the ship’s capacity, for a start: 6300 passengers and 2165 crew. There’s the accommodation: it includes 2706 staterooms, some of which span two decks and feature floor-to-ceiling windows with ocean views. The plant life: 12,000 plants, including 56 trees, some more than seven metres tall. The activities: on-board surfing, scuba diving, ice skating, shopping. And so the list goes.

Fain anticipates that the size of the vessel and the scope of activities and facilities will entice passengers on all budgets. Certainly he is encouraged by ticket sales despite the economic climate.

To accommodate all those people, the ship is divided into seven “neighbourhoods”, including Central Park and Royal Promenade. And there is no shortage of things to keep passengers entertained.

Among the attractions are an aqua theatre pool 5.4 metres deep, two rock-climbing walls, the obligatory casino and 21 swimming pools and jacuzzis. There’s also a carousel, ice rink, themed bars and restaurants, high-end shops, a nightclub, a Rising Tide bar that ascends three decks while you sip your martini, a wedding chapel, scuba diving lessons, two wave-flow riders for surfing, a jogging track, library and roaming entertainers.

Entertainment also includes stunt divers, swimmers and actors performing in the 50-metre-wide outdoor pool amphitheatre designed to seat 500 guests.

Royal Caribbean’s schedule has the first Oasis cruise starting in early December in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with ports of call that include Charlotte Amalie in St Thomas, Philipsburg in St Maarten and Nassau in the Bahamas.

Ready for that voyage is Captain William Wright, who began his seafaring career aged 16 and has taken the helm of several new cruise ships on debut at Royal Caribbean.

He had a sneak peak at the ship’s performance during the pre-launch “floating out” ceremony last November.

“It’s clearly one of the most stable ships we have built,” he says. “The size has allowed us to … demonstrably increase the safety of the ship, which is really nice to know. It helps us captains sleep at night.”

Other safety features include smoke and heat detectors and a Hi-Fog water mist fire-extinguishing system.

The ship will have three doctors, five nurses and one medical assistant on board.

It is equipped with 18 life boats – or “rescue vessels”, as Wright prefers to call them – each with a toilet on board. “That’s a first, I can assure you,” he says (source: www.theage.com.au).

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The layoffs are expected to begin by Oct. 30, according to a mass layoff notice filed Aug. 25 with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

Sturgeon Bay-based Bay Shipbuilding is a manufacturer of marine vessels, dredges, and dredging support equipment, along with bulk cargo self-unloading systems. The company is a subsidiary of Fincantieri Marine Group LLC of Marinette.

The company previously announced a small number of temporary layoffs at the Sturgeon Bay facility that were expected to be less than six months in duration. However, recent business conditions have necessitated an extension of the earlier layoffs, as well as additional furloughs, according to the company.

“The company is continuing to try to mitigate these layoffs by aggressively seeking new business,” the notice states.

If business conditions improve, layoffs to the extent indicated in the filing may not be necessary, company management said (www.bizjournals.com).

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