From left, Commander Captain in the Navy, Thorvald Dahll, CEO in GMC, Thomas A. Vang, and board member in GMC, Arild Stølen. GMC has entered a framework agreement with another company for the classification and maintenance of the logistics and supply vessel, KNM “Maud”.

– It’s incredibly enjoyable to be on board KNM ‘Maud’ again today. This contract reflects GMC’s strategy. We will continue to leverage the group’s combined expertise and capacity across GMC to undertake larger assignments,” says Group CEO of GMC, Thomas A. Vang.

Together with the CEO of GMC Yard AS, Per Ingolf Jøsang, and the board of GMC, he is visiting the ship today for a tour hosted by Navy Commander Captain Thorvald Dahll.

– For us, it was a lengthy process to determine where to dry dock. Now, we are pleased to have secured this contract with GMC. There aren’t many shipyards capable of accommodating vessels of this size because KNM ‘Maud’ is a very deep ship,” says Commander Captain on board KNM ‘Maud,’ Thorvald Dahll.

KNM “Maud” at GMC’s shipyard in Stavanger for ship technical maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and modifications.

The ship arrived at the GMC shipyard in Stavanger on November 15 and will proceed to Haakonsvern in the new year. The stay is part of the ship’s five-year classification.

– We have experienced the process of coming into dry dock as highly professional and have a good collaboration with GMC’s project managers. Together, we have daily morning meetings for status updates and adjustments in the project,” says Dahll.

The Commander Captain is also sure that it’s beneficial for the conscripts on board to be close to the city.

– In this way, the conscripts get onshore, can relax a bit, experience Stavanger, and explore what the city has to offer,” says Dahll.

Maren Mork is radio operator. The ship has a female representation of approximately 25%. During the period when the ship is in the shipyard, Mork and the rest of the crew reside on board.

KNM “Maud” has a tonnage almost six times that of frigates, or equivalent to the weight of 348 fully loaded Boeing 737s. The military logistics vessel can carry up to 200 tons of ammunition, spare parts, 30 tons of provisions, boats, vehicles, and over 9 million liters of fuel for its own and allied naval vessels.

From left: Per Ingolf Jøsang (CEO GMC Yard AS), Thorvald Dahll (Commander Captain in the Navy), and Thomas A. Vang (Group CEO GMC).

Environmental considerations during classification

– We consider environmental factors on board and consider the fact that we transport chemicals and other products. We operate under the Green Ship Notation, meaning that we operate the ship in a way that minimizes pollution as much as possible, and therefore, we are in a separate DNV class,” says Dahll.

– Everything that happens in the dry dock is under strict control, and all emissions related to flushing and other service activities are sorted and treated so that nothing goes into the sea,” says Jøsang.

– There is a lot of valuable learning here in developing maintenance programs and finding efficient and sustainable solutions in close collaboration with the Defense. GMC is a recognized player in maintenance and modifications. We are proud that the Defense now chooses GMC because we have a ‘Consider it done’ attitude,” says Vang.

From left: Eirik Fjone and Arturas Jankauskas are both project managers in GMC Yard, and collaborates with the crew on board KNM “Maud”.

Also, the lessons learned from the project will be valuable going forward:

– The Norwegian Defense naturally opts for different solutions and dimensions than civilian vessels. This is something GMC will continue to build expertise on. Our goal is clearly to offer our services to other Norwegian and allied military vessels in the future, closes Vang.

Publisert av Marianne Helgesen