The joint venture marks a key step in revitalising the Dakar shipyard, supporting sustainable growth, skills transfer and the upgrade of technical capabilities.
By Blue Africa News
Ship repair and maintenance activities in Senegal are set for a boost after the Senegalese government and Damen Shipyards Group formed a joint venture (JV) to operate Damen Shiprepair Dakar on the West African coast.
Under the deal, the Senegalese government is represented by a local company, Société des Infrastructures de Réparation Navale (SIRN), offering a comprehensive range of ship repair and maintenance services.
Known for designing, building, repairing and maintaining a wide range of vessels for commercial, defence and offshore sectors, Damen Shipyards Group is one of the world’s leading shipbuilding companies headquartered in Gorinchem, Netherlands.
Jeroen Heesters, managing director of Damen Shiprepair said they are excited to begin the joint venture, noting that the Dakar Shiprepair is well positioned to support their clients in the coming years.
The yard, said Heesters, enjoys an excellent reputation and benefits from extensive experience and knowledge generated over decades of operation.
“From the outset, we intend to develop those capabilities, committing ourselves to a considerable capital expenditure investment program. This will provide the infrastructure required to bring the yard in line with our other repair yards around the world. It will also enable us to attain the high levels of safety practice demanded by the offshore energy industry,” said the managing director.
The sentiments were echoed by Babacar Faye, managing director of SIRN, who noted that the joint venture with Damen marks a key step in revitalising the Dakar Shipyard, “supporting sustainable growth, skills transfer, the upgrading of technical capabilities, and long‑term value for Senegal’s economy and workforce.”
The partnership, according to Damen Regional Director Africa Frederick Vandepitte, will be focusing on building sustainable ship repair capabilities to assist Senegal meet its maritime transport potential.
“This includes the opening of a local training centre. With this, we will further develop the already high level of skills at the yard, and help to create additional employment opportunities in the region,” added the regional boss.
Damien is now expected to move with speed to ensure yard alignment with the rest of its shipyards, as far as health, safety, quality processes and procedures, information technology, landscape integration and human resource management are concerned.
Daker Shirepair yard boasts a 191 x 25 metre drydock, 235 x 38 metre floating dock, a 63 x 15 metre synchrolift with a lifting capacity of 1,200 tonnes, as well as 500 metres of quayside with a draught of 9 metres, providing over 300 personnel direct employment, besides offering a livelihood to hundreds of subcontractors.
As the new agreement sets in motion in Dakar, Djibouti is celebrating the inauguration of construction of arguably the biggest ship repair yard in East Africa, with Damien at the centre of it.
On April 04, 2026, Djibouti inaugurated the Djibouti ship repair yard, marking what they called a milestone in the development of the country’s maritime economy. The yard reportedly became the largest ship repair yard in the Red Sea and East Africa region.
“The Djibouti ship repair yard has always been a national priority, given Djibouti’s strategic location at the entrance to the Bab el-Mandeb, one of the world’s busiest maritime routes,” said President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh during the ceremony, as quoted by maritime-executive.com.
Djibouti ship repair yard sits on an 80 hectares piece of land with more than 800 meters of berth. The dock measures 217 meters in length to the yard, while it has a lifting capability of 20,100 tonnes.
The project is on, courtesy of a partnership between the Djibouti government, Damen Shipyard and an investment from Invest International from the Netherlands, to a tune of approximately $124 million.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News