Strategic’s Singapore launch

HENDERSON-BASED shipbuilder Strategic Marine this month launched a new vessel it says sets new design and construction standards for crew boats in the oil and gas industry.

Strategic launched the Samson Supporter at its Singapore boatyard, the first of two 40-metre crew boats ordered by Fremantle maritime support solutions company, Samson Maritime.

Samson Maritime director Jeremy Williams said the vessels combined the best of established design principles with the latest technology to give the boats the flexibility to perform a wide variety of inshore and offshore support tasks.

The Samson Supporter and its sister vessel, the Samson Supplier, due to be completed in August, will service the oil and gas industry in Western Australia.

Strategic's Singapore yard is also currently working to complete two 40-metre utility vessels ordered by a Malaysian offshore servicing company last September.

Strategic Marine director Ron Anderson said the Singapore yard had specialised in constructing crew boats since 2005 and regularly delivered to clients ahead of schedule.

"We have fast become a market leader in the South-East Asia crew boat sector, but without our staff's commitment to servicing our clients, I don't believe these achievements could have been possible," he said.

In addition to Singapore, Strategic has yards in Australia, Vietnam and Mexico and the company is currently constructing 63 fully financed vessels with a book value of $252.3 million.

In 2008, Strategic was ranked WA's fastest-growing private company when it won the WA Business News Rising Star Award.

Strategic's Vietnamese yard was officially opened in February, and in March the company announced that the facility had won more than $95 million in orders.

Strategic's international clients include Malaysian shipping firm Syarkat Borcos, Denmark-based marine support and safety firm Svitzer, and Singapore-based oil and gas solutions provider EMAS Offshore.

Construction of the steel pontoon base for the Australian Marine Complex's $62 million floating dry dock was completed at Strategic's Vietnamese facility and was shipped to WA late last year.