Damen completed construction under a short timescale, delivering the vessel just four months after contract signing. The newly built vessel is the first fully classified Damen MMuC to enter service, making Damen Marine Services the launching customer.

Dredging and marine contractor Van Oord has a substantial fleet operating in the Caspian Sea region, to which Damen has contributed six vessels. In addition to four crew boats, these include two Cutter Suction Dredgers (CSD 650), the Ural River and the Mangystau, that were delivered last year. This new MMuC 2210, called Telesto, will be mobilised in a dredge support role to the Mangystau.

Damen performed the bulk of the construction of the 22-metre MMuC at its Ko?le yard in Poland. This was followed by final outfitting and delivery at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem in the Netherlands just four months after contract signing.

A fast delivery was imperative says Damen Marine Services Managing Director Rik van Prooijen: “The northern part of the Caspian Sea freezes over in the winter months. So it was vital to get this vessel delivered by March – the start of the operational season there.”

“We have to give credit to Van Oord as launching customer. Without them, we would not have started this project. Our role in this contract was an enabler. This is particularly important with a new design and short delivery time – this requires quick decision making and creative solutions.”

The vessel’s modular design – a characteristic that it shares with the CSD 650 Mangystau – means that transportation to its destination is a relatively straightforward affair. “The Telesto and all its components are completely containerised,” informs Damen Design and Proposal Engineer Freek Haagmans. “We can load the whole lot onto trucks and drive it to Kazakhstan in about 12 days. The sea route, on the other hand, would take about 6 weeks for such a vessel.”

“For operations in this part of the Caspian Sea, it is crucial to have a vessel with a shallow draught,” Mr Haagmans continues. “With a draught of less than one metre, the MMuC 2210 certainly meets that condition.”

Another pertinent specification of the vessel is a modular accommodation unit with cooking and sleeping facilities for two persons. Also relevant to the Telesto’s duties are a 60 tonne-metre crane and a 30-tonne winch: providing valuable dredge support and anchor handling capacity.

The first agreement, signed in March 2013, resulted in four trade missions to Montreal and Antwerp during which extensive business contacts were developed. These meetings also enabled productive exchanges of information on issues such as sustainable development, land use, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union, global trends in the markets, and the development of port logistics zones.

As Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), pointed out, this agreement’s renewal is a great fit with the Port of Montreal’s commitment to strengthen its ties with its largest European trading partner. “In the last three years, we were able to realize how much our two ports share the same concerns. We got to know each other, to collaborate effectively and we are now at a level of mutual trust that lets our departments discuss many issues of common interest and take concrete action on joint business development. The renewal of this agreement beautifully illustrates our commitment to further our collaboration and in doing so, continually provide better service to our clients.”

For Luc Arnouts, Chief Commercial Officer and member of the Port of Antwerp’s Board of Directors, “The Port of Antwerp and the Port of Montreal share many common traits. As large container ports located inland, Antwerp owes its prosperity to the Scheldt River and Montreal to the St. Lawrence River. During our collaboration we have deepened trade relations, among other things, resulting in a network that greatly benefits both partners. Implementation of the CETA agreement will give rise to a new dimension in our cooperation.”

Every tier of government in Canada has recognized the agreement between the Port of Montreal and the Port of Antwerp. In fact, the agreement between the two ports has been repeatedly cited by the federal and provincial governments, along with the City of Montreal, as an example of beneficial strategic development for international trade.

A gateway of choice for European markets and a major transshipment hub, the Port of Antwerp is the Port of Montreal’s largest trading partner. One container in five handled at the Port of Montreal arrives from or gets sent to the Port of Antwerp.

The cooperation comprises at least two full time researchers from the university’s post doc services. They work closely together with a dedicated team of Kalmar specialists.

“We are excited to start this unique cooperation to accelerate our digital transformation. Linnaeus University will provide us opportunities for competence development. We are aiming to build a strong connection between our business, the academy, research institutes and other companies in the region. We believe that through open innovation and co-creation Kalmar, as well as the industry as a whole, will be exposed to new ideas and thinking that can help the entire value chain on their road to digitalisation and increased efficiency,” says Dan Pettersson, Senior Vice President, Mobile Equipment, Kalmar.

In addition to launching the digital business development program, Kalmar is investing in a new, state of the art premises in Ljungby, Sweden, and planning to transform its operations into a Business, Innovation and Technology Centre.

The new centre would focus on strengthening Kalmar’s expertise in digital business development, research and development, prototype production and testing of mobile equipment. The centre would create new business and job opportunities especially in the area of digitalisation.