Pon Power News

FABRIEK CATERPILLAR 3500 SCHEEPSMOTOREN IN LAFAYETTE

ASK A QUESTION

ASK A QUESTION

‘When it comes to preventive maintenance, we grab the bull by the horns. Once, in Cologne, we replaced an entire generator without interrupting the owner’s navigation schedule.’

Dirk Verboom

Account Manager Pon Power

suppliers, such as Veth Propulsion and Da Capo, also have a base in the Tweede Merwedehaven, meaning that the complete winter maintenance cycle can be handled far more efficiently. Dirk Verboom of Pon Power is pleased they are able service customers better and more pro-actively: “We perform preventive endoscopic engine research at this location. If there is the slightest suspicion that a part may cause problems in the summer season, we replace it preventively. That way, we won’t have to disrupt the owner’s navigation schedule in the peak season.”

PLEASED WITH THE INITIATIVE

The ship owners were pleased with the initiative, and last winter the Tweede Merwedehaven was once again fully booked. Not only does the facility save the owners the journey to Germany or Austria, but the port rates in the Netherlands are also lower than in those two countries. Therefore, this local service saves ship owners time, money and hassle. ‘When we start on one of those, we just tow the ship to the wharf,’ says Ben de Rooy of Shipyard Den Breejen. “We’re all set up here for efficiency.” An additional bonus for the customer is that other service providers and

FACTS & FIGURES

TWEEDE MERWEDEHAVEN

FACILITIES

PRODUCTION 2015

DEN BREEJEN SHIPYARD

Small inland port north of Dordrecht

Two stern docks, a shipbuilding hall, two pre-construction halls, various equipping quays and a fully equipped machining workshop.

6 ships

Shipyard in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, specializing in the repair and maintenance of river cruisers.

‘When we start on one of those, we just tow the ship to the wharf. We’re all set up for efficiency there.’

Ben de Rooy

Den Breejen Shipyard

FACTS & FIGURES

course you cannot do if you have to send your customers to a foreign harbor for service. That’s why we decided to come into action.’ The companies joined forces and got to work ‘around the corner’ from the shipyard, in the Tweede Merwedehaven. The inland port, purchased from Boskalis some years ago, was renovated and prepared for access, resulting in eight to twelve more berths.

come into the picture. In the summer season these cruisers are commercially operated 24/7, therefore, of necessity, any maintenance has to take place in winter. This is where we had a problem. With limited berthing facilities at the shipyard of Den Breejen the cruiser owners were frequently forced to seek a winter berth in Germany or Austria. Den Breejen, like us, were keen to provide a full service, which of

‘At Den Breejen Shipyards in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, they build magnificent river cruisers, and they often they have them for winter servicing as well’, explains Account Manager Dirk Verboom of Pon Power.

‘Many of those vessels are provided with Cat engines, and that’s where we, as Pon Power,