MANAMA: ASRY, the leading ship and rig repair yard in the Arabian Gulf has been nominated for the Ship Repair Innovation Award at the 2014 Seatrade Maritime Awards MEISA. The shipyard made the shortlist due to its 2014 initiative called Project Jupiter, which aims to make ASRY the regional leader in Onsite Specialist Contractors. The winners will be announced in Dubai on 27 October, 2014.

The Seatrade Maritime Awards are designed to celebrate and reward excellence and innovation in the maritime sector across the region over the previous 12 months. Widely recognised as the region’s most prestigious industry awards, the night is attended by more than 750 maritime and shipping personalities and is regarded as one of the key networking occasions in the calendar. An independent judging panel made up of experts in the regional and international maritime industry will select the award recipients.

ASRY’s nomination focused on the 2014 initiative Project Jupiter, which aims to make ASRY the leader in Onsite Specialist Contractors in the region. After careful feedback assessment from a range of key customers, both regional and international, ASRY Management identified one of the primary challenges customers faced when selecting a shipyard for a vessel’s repair was maximizing the availability of parts and expertise from their vessel’s specific Specialist Contractors, e.g. engine suppliers, turbocharger specialists, accommodation contractors, etc. In response, ASRY made the strategic decision to bring every key Specialist Contractor of it’s client base onsite with a permanent presence. The Project has been identifying its customers’ major contractors, such as ABB, Seven Seas, and many more, and negotiating a mutually beneficial arrangement to physically accommodate them in the yard permanently.

Project Jupiter is innovative in the new approach it takes to shipyard-contractor relations in the region. Where previously the dynamic between the two was as the contractor being an independent service provider, Project Jupiter is based on the new concept that contractors should be integrated partners; extensions of the service the shipyard is providing. By taking this approach, it breaks down barriers to providing the very best customer satisfaction.