Page 28 - 2024 - Q4 - Minerva in Focus

MINERVA IN FOCUS 27 Dry docking projects | Τhe role of the Dry Docking team

2024 marked the My Mechanical Engineering degree, followed by my in-
volvement in projects for the construction work of the
successful completion Olympic Games International Broadcasting Centre in
Tokyo and Beijing, equipped me with various skills, which
of a record number I had the chance to further improve and adapt to the
marine industry’s high standards.
of dry docking projects The primary focus of this role is to maintain seamless
coordination between shipyards, management, Tech-
within a single year nical Fleet Heads, and Superintendents while ensuring
strict adherence to budgets, timelines, and specifica-
for Minerva tions. The ability to adapt, negotiate, and make informed
decisions, while balancing speed with cost-efficiency
without compromising on quality, is both demanding
and rewarding. Witnessing the transformation of vessels
through meticulous maintenance and repair during the
dry docking process is particularly fulfilling. This role has
given me the opportunity to combine planning, project
management, and budgeting processes with the actual
technical aspects of the numerous pieces of equipment
onboard the vessels.
2024 was a landmark year for the Dry Docking team,
marked by the successful completion of a record number
of dry docking projects within a single year for Minerva.
These projects included tankers (ranging from MRs to
VLCCs) and bulk carriers (Capesizes and Kamsarmaxes),
with ages varying from 5 to 20 years old. The projects
were carried out at shipyards across the globe, many of
which serve as strategic partners with whom collabora-
tion is constantly cultivated and refined.
The planning for such a demanding year, both in terms
of volume and job specifications for our fleet, started
well in advance and required strategic decisions based
on the vessels’ age, condition, and trading patterns.
The successful execution of these projects is a testa-
by Michalis Bofilios, ment to the dedication and collaboration of all involved
Dry Docking Engineer, departments and parties, including the superintendents
Minerva Marine Inc. present at the shipyard during dry docking, the project
engineers, procurement teams, and operations and ex-
ternal stakeholders, all of whom worked on preparing
the next dry dock while the execution of the previous
one had not yet been completed.
The dry docking period poses a lot of challenges for the
vessel and its crew, as a wide variety of tasks occur simul-
taneously, multiple parties are involved, and unforeseen
problems arise frequently, requiring immediate attention
and innovative solutions. Identifying risks regarding safety,
the environment and, of course, technical errors has al-
ways been a priority. These shared learning experiences
enhance our ability to adapt, improving our capacity to
anticipate, prevent, or mitigate issues in future projects.
The primary focus of this Dry Efficiency has also been a cornerstone of this year’s
success. Through monitoring and evaluating, we have
Docking team is to maintain successfully aligned actual durations with planned
seamless coordination between schedules, minimising vessel downtime. We have also
shipyards, management, Technical optimised costs with careful budget monitoring and da-
ta-driven negotiations, achieving substantial savings
Fleet Heads, and Superintendents without compromising quality and keeping final costs
while ensuring strict adherence close to the budgeted ones.
to budgets, timelines, and Overall, dry docking projects are about learning, adapt-
specifications. ing, and striving to do better with every project for ev-
eryone involved.

26 ISSUE 30 / Q4 2024