Singapore: Many people claim to have shipping in the blood. Few have had it drip fed more than Indonesian national Rony Sudjaka, the chairman and md of Singapore-based OSV specialist Pacific Richfield Marine.
Wearing a trademark cap Sudjarka says of the firm that he founded in 1989 that while there is plenty more competition in his sector all of a sudden he is not worried as the ships he builds and owns are “higher class” with big engines and more back up systems. Sudjaka has a long history of building OSVs, but had quit the practice for a number of years before returning to it in 2008, when he found he was unable to get ships built at other yards because they were so busy. He made the decision to rent a yard in Singapore and started churning out high spec ships.
Sudjaka now owns 55 ships. His shipyard has one dock and is able to build eight ships every 18 months. He builds ships for himself and charters them onto oil majors across the world. Sudjaka owns two design firms too, who are charged with making his innovative OSV design ideas reality. Pacific Richfield Marine became the first yard in Singapore three years ago capable of working on up to nine vessels at any given time.
“Singapore shipbuilding has now stepped down,” reckons Sudjaka, “as many have moved to China because they are cheap with a 30% difference in price.”
Sudjaka’s father worked in Hong Kong at the old Taikoo Shipyard from 1926, before moving back to Indonesia to do contracting work. Sudjaka himself, now 76, has been in the OSV business now for more than half a century. [10/05/13]
