ASTILLERO TSUNEISHI PARAGUAY S.A. Strengthens its Repair Business
Birieta, Paraguay June 24th, 2016. TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd. (HQ: Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan; President: Kenji Kawano) announced that ASTILLERO TSUNEISHI PARAGUAY S.A., the company’s subsidiary in Paraguay that builds barges and pusher boats for river transport, is strengthening their repair business for existing ships by bolstering their efforts to offer repair proposals and enhancing the efficiency of their repair work to answer the rising demand for repairing barges and pusher boats in South America.
ASTILLERO TSUNEISHI PARAGUAY, which began their repair business in 2013, have completed repair of 15 ships as of May 6, 2016. The most recent repair work completed was on a 3,000-ton bulk carrier barge built in 2015 by ASTILLERO TSUNEISHI PARAGUAY that required a partial double-hull replacement due to damage from a maritime accident. The work began on April 6, and was completed in just 29 days. Repair work done on barges built by ASTILLERO TSUNEISHI PARAGUAY has been favorably received by their shipowners. The repair process is highly efficient; the ship design drawings and hull structure details are kept on file so an appropriate repair plan is promptly devised, leading to a shortened delivery time.
ASTILLERO TSUNEISHI PARAGUAY repair technicians are trained in shipbuilding skills by instructors from TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd. and TSUNEISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES (CEBU), Inc. Furthermore, the company is seeking to further enhance their repair skills by working in partnership with TSUNEISHI PARAGUAY IRON WORKS S.R.L., a Tsuneishi Group company in Paraguay that specialize in machinery outfitting for ships, with the aim of enabling the repair of not only traditional barges, but also pusher boats and other self-propelled vessels with engines.
The cycle for replacing barges and pusher boats tends to be longer in South America, giving rise to safety concerns due to wear and tear on the equipment and machines. The Directorate General of the Merchant Marine, which is the sole river-sea authority in the Republic of Paraguay, require barges and pusher boats to be classified under a ship classification society* that inspects the safety and environmental impact of a vessel for the purpose of ensuring the safety of river transport. ASTILLERO TSUNEISHI PARAGUAY offers repair work not only on ships they have built, but also on ships built by any shipyard, to contribute towards improving safety and enabling the smooth operation of river transport.
*A third-party organization established in major shipping countries. The organization conducts regular inspections to check the performance of the hull, engine, and equipment of a commercial vessel, during its construction as well as after it enters service. Vessels that fulfill the required standards are given a classification.
■ASTILLERO TSUNEISHI PARAGUAY S.A.
ASTILLERO TSUNEISHI PARAGUAY S.A. is part of the Group company TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd. (HQ: Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan), and is located about 40km southwest of Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. The company builds and repairs flat-bottomed barges and pusher boats that are used for river transport, which is projected to show mid-and-long term rising demand. Grains produced in Paraguay and Western Brazil, which have been traditionally transported over land by truck, are now transitioning towards river transportation as it allows the movement of large numbers of cargoes by barge. The importance of river transport is expected to continue to rise, generating an increasing demand for barge shipping.
・URL: http://www.glocal-japan.com/southamerica/english/business/shipbuilding.html
・Field of Business: Building and repair of river transport barges and pusher boats
・Established: October 2008
・Employees: Approximately 380 (as of January 2016, including subcontractor employees)
・Shipyard area: Approximately 500,000 square meters
・Delivered ship types: River transport bulk carrier barge, tank barge, pusher boat
For inquiries about this matter
TSUNEISHI HOLDINGS CORPORATION
Marketing & Communications group, CVS division
pr@tsuneishi.com