“Remontowa Shiprepair Yard is working without any interruptions, states Grzegorz Landowski, Communications Director at the Remontowa Holding Group. “Due to restrictions all over the world, it was necessary to change the way the projects are carried out, which is constantly being done in conjunction with ship owner consultation.”
Grzegorz Landowski, Communications Director at the Remontowa Holding Group
The ships arriving in the harbour are subject to compulsory border and sanitary inspections. In the interest of customer safety, non-compliant ships are not allowed into the internal port where Remontowa carries out its operations.
“We comply with all national and local regulations, and have also implemented our internal security procedures,” says Landowski. “They involve changes in the organisation of work and pedestrian and road traffic. This is in order to, as much as possible, protect the health of employees, subcontractors and representatives of shipowners staying here. These include: thorough checking, including temperature measurements of all those entering the shipyard, monitoring the health of crews on ships (residence surveys, permanent temperature measurements of crews, including the captain, limiting the movement of crews to residential areas separated on ships, prohibition of crew members from leaving the ship), limiting mutual contacts to the minimum necessary for the implementation of projects, prohibition of multi-person meetings and gatherings, daily disinfection of designated areas and places on ships and on land, and mandatory 14-day quarantine for all returning from abroad.”
Detailed information on the restrictions and procedures has been placed on posters on the shipyard’s premises, and instructions have also been published in the yard’s internal newspaper, which is distributed to employees.
“The level of employment has not changed significantly,” Landowski told DryDock. “The number of people in the shipyard varies depending on the allocation of work on the repair projects. Currently, we focus on organising the work of our people and subcontractors in such a way that it is carried out in the safest possible way. One of the ways is to disperse the teams and spread the workload over shifts. This minimises the risk of infection between employees.”
He explains; “Our response to the coronavirus pandemic was immediate from the beginning of the threat in Europe. Safety procedures for customers and employees as well as changes in the shipyard’s work organisation were introduced immediately, and are being followed consistently.”
When it comes to maintaining worker/client safety, he says; “We have followed all the recommendations of the sanitation services, and additionally introduced those which, from our perspective, increase the safety of our employees and customers, such as those mentioned in the answer to question earlier.”
Cancellations and postponements
“Repair orders have decreased, a small part of them has been cancelled, and some have been postponed,” Landowski told DryDock. “Despite unfavourable conditions, we are continuing work on the docks and are fighting for more orders.”
He went on to say; “We are doing all the work necessary to execute projects. The main problem is connected with difficulties in crossing borders, and arrival of representatives of system and equipment manufacturers and suppliers, as well as service technicians. Foreigners cannot enter Poland, as air traffic is suspended. Wherever possible, we try to replace them by offering repairs using our capabilities and expertise. However, in many cases, the direct presence of service technicians on site is necessary e.g. to maintain the warranty provisions.”
“Currently, the market situation is changing rapidly,” he explains. “Numerous postponements of drydockings cause changes in schedules. Some clients, due to the lack of employment for their ships, are looking for places to wait out this difficult situation, while others are commissioning smaller-scale repairs.”
Maintaining supplies
“We mainly use European products, and our supply chains have generally been maintained,” states Landowski. “A large number of key manufacturers have their service representatives in our country.”
Stimulating business
When it comes to stimulating business in these tough times Landowski told DryDock; “We approach our customers individually, and work out the best solutions in a joint dialogue. We are always open to the needs of shipowners.”
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