Interview - Shipbuilding and Repair Development Company (SRDC)

Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Wilfred de Gannes, Chairman and CEO of the Shipbuilding and Repair Development Company (SRDC), about construction of the La Brea shipyard, the company’s world class training program, and its plans for the future.

By Daniel Baksi

ment Company (SRDC) of Trinidad and Tobago started life in 2008, as an initiative under the Government of the Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. The initiative’s aim was to diversify the oil and gas economy within Trinidad and Tobago’s maritime sector through four key clusters: ship ownership, marine construction, trans-shipment, and shipbuilding and repair services. The last of these, shipbuilding and repair is the only cluster that remains functional to date. Since its initial launch, the cluster has grown tenfold from twelve (12) to over one-hundred and twenty (120) companies, and now boosts the largest following of any maritime organization in the Caribbean region. Organizations wishing to participate in the cluster do so for a one-time membership fee.

Equipped with the experience and support of its 120 stakeholder companies, SRDC delivers a range of world class ship repair products and services. “Several of our stakeholders have been operational in Trinidad for the better part of 100 years, primarily servicing

WILFRED DE GANNES

the oil and gas and maritime industries. The country’s very first shipyard was established in north-western Trinidad in 1907. We’re now in the process of establishing our world class shipyard at La Brea, located in the south-west of the country. It’s a 1200-acre development of existing coastal waterfront and adjacent green field land.”

SRDC is working on securing Trinidad’s maritime industry’s place within the broader Caribbean economy. “Across the CARICOM region we’re seeing the discovery of hydrocarbons, oil and gas,” says Mr. de Gannes. “The difficulty for oil and gas companies is that these new resources are often located in deep waters offshore between Trinidad and South America. For SRDC, however, it’s an opportunity for us to participate in the provision of goods and services to these oil and gas offshore exploration and production companies, and to drydock the growing global fleet of LNG carriers from a country that is well-industrialized and strategically located – particularly when compared to some of the other countries that have recently made significant oil and gas discoveries, like Guyana and Suriname.”

The continued success of the shipbuilding and repair cluster is down largely to SRDC’s sustained investment in employee training and upskilling. “We’re currently in the process of establishing a training academy,” says Mr. de Gannes. “Citizens from Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname will be given access to some 75 skills training courses, including marine pipefitting, marine aluminum welding, carpentry, and joinery. These courses can be anywhere from weeks to days in duration, and the certificates awarded to all our successful graduates will be officially recognized by over 1500 North American shipyards and companies – including ExxonMobil, HESS, Avondale Shipyards, Bechtel Corporation, and a number of smaller and medium-sized construction and maritime

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companies. We’re very excited, and we hope to see the program go live before the end of this year.”

SRDC hopes that the program can address an education gap within Trinidad’s population. “Historically, a large proportion of Trinidadians haven’t attained a university-level qualification,” explains Mr. de Gannes. “There are a number of reasons for that, principal among them being that people simply lack the funds. Despite this, demand for education remains high throughout the population, and at SRDC we know people are willing to invest in certificate diploma courses. Likewise, Guyana represents a significant market for certified training, with most residents under the age of 15. Very soon, we’re looking to establish a physical office in Georgetown to bring our training abroad. For those who enroll, we believe it can be a significant first step into this global maritime industry.”

This open approach to training is one that SRDC has taken into its La Brea shipyard. “Initially, we were overwhelmed by locals and foreigners seeking employment during La Brea’s construction phase,” says Mr. de Gannes. “Rather than turn them away, we decided to invite all the applicants to our shipyard office to attend pre-screening interviews. We took the 17,543 resumes we received and established a computer database to make these resumes available to all of our 120-plus stakeholder companies. Those companies can peruse the online database to find qualified applicants whose skillsets are aligned with their needs. While it has been helpful to our stakeholders, and for all those who have gained employment as a result, we look forward to see the others plying the respective trades in the various construction phases of the La Brea Shipyard, post COVID-19 pandemic.

SRDC is committed to refreshing its product range and operations to keep itself at the forefront of quality shipbuilding and repair services. “It’s always important for us to remain at the cutting edge,” says Mr. de Gannes. “We’ve recently acquired a new range of products not previously available in the Caribbean region. Among these, we’re working with Dura-Stress Inc., a Florida-based company, to incorporate a sustainable concrete mix design technology into the construction at La Brea.”

“Looking further ahead, we’re also interested in setting up a mid-sized shipyard in the central Caribbean,” says Mr. de Gannes. “We’re particularly looking at US territories where we believe our skilled workforce have a competitive advantage over local, more expensive labor. We hope that the new shipyard would provide a fresh opportunity for our local cluster companies to earn US dollar currency, boosting the country’s economic diversification and foreign exchange. We’re currently undertaking a feasibility study, and hope to have more concrete plans in the near future.” c

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