Construction work has started at UAE-based Lamprell's new joint-venture maritime yard at Ras Al Khair in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Lamprell said dredging work "and associated activities" are in progress.
The five-square-kilometre complex that extends for four kilometres on the coast will include four operating zones for the manufacturing and maintenance of ships and offshore platforms and drilling equipment.
The first zone is dedicated to the repair and maintenance of ships and rigs, and includes maintenance dry docks and 12 berths, and workshops for all maintenance and overhaul operations. They have the capacity to repair VLCCs and service more than 15 rigs and 130 ships annually.
The second zone, dedicated to offshore support vessels, will have the capacity to build 25 ships and repair 115 offshore support vessels a year. It will consist of nine berths and ship repair workshops.
The third zone is dedicated to the construction of commercial vessels. Highlighted by VLCC-size dry docks and fully-equipped berths, it will have the capacity to build three VLCCs and 15 commercial vessels annually.
The fourth zone, the maritime operations zone, will have the capacity to build more than 11 fixed offshore platforms and four drilling rigs each year. It will include a floating dock for loading out new rigs and will have a loading capacity across the quay walls of 10,000 tonnes.
The complex is expected to begin initial production in November, followed by operation of the rig area in February 2019, the shipbuilding area in 2020, and the maintenance and overhaul area in 2021, with full production capacity to be reached by 2022.
The joint-venture company, International Maritime Industries Company (IMI), is a partnership between Lamprell, Saudi Aramco, the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia and Hyundai Heavy Industries.
