With concept behind it of sourcing expertise from the maritime community around it, Urk-based Werft Shipbuilding is both new to the market yet has decades of relevant experience at its fingertips.
The Werft name has been around for a while and according to Werft Shipbuilding’s managing director Pieter Pruiksma, it’s time to open up about the venture’s ambitious plans and the background that brings together years of experience among a select group of ship construction partners, each with specialist skills in shipbuilding, technology and fishery.
He said that Werft is off to a promising start.
‘The first engineering contract has been signed and multiple construction projects have commenced. We have also seen a lot of national and international interest,’ he said.
‘Our objective is clear. We want to bring shipbuilding back to the village of Urk, historically one of the main centres of Dutch shipbuilding and fishery. We want to harness the strength and expertise of local partners and let our clients benefit from local construction. Our promise? A perfect balance between cost and quality, very tight planning, and a guaranteed delivery date.’
Werft aims to handle the entire process, from selection to procurement and from construction to delivery to deliver vessels designed to meet the client’s specific requirements.
‘From hull construction to final finishing, from carpenters to electricians, Werft can handle every facet of development in-house. This is a unique concept in shipbuilding. And the advantages for the client are huge. They are assured of tight planning and throughput times, and no one has to face any unpleasant surprises. A deal is a deal, and we deliver what we promise.”
Many of Werft’s construction partners are part of the Urk Maritime cooperation collective, which includes VCU-TCD, Piet Brouwer Elektrotechniek, De Flux and De Boer Marine. Other well-known names such as Padmos, C-iob and Marin are also part of the collective.
‘We use the facilities of these partners as much as possible, and project finishing is also executed in the port of Urk. Our flat organisational structure means we have minimal overheads. That’s how we offer our customers the best cost-quality ratio,’ he said, commenting that Werft is also in a position to offer its clients rapid service.
‘All of our partners have extremely high standards of service, and each can provide fast on-site support across the North Sea ports. From Harlingen to the Eemshaven, from Boulogne-sur-Mer to Thyborøn, our clients can count on a fast provision of services, materials and parts anywhere they need them. Werft and its partners are very familiar with the fishing industry and the way it rolls. So we know first-hand just how crucial it is to get things done quickly.’
Werft Shipbuilding aims to offer shipbuilding services to customers around the North Sea. Image: Werft Shipbuilding
