On 11th January 2008 UMC International commenced operating in Singapore, in conjunction with Singapore underwater engineering company, Maritime Underwater Maintenance and Services (MUM) Pte Ltd.
UMC’s Managing Director, Alan Trevarthen said, “The move into Singapore is a natural progression as part of our expanding global footprint. Singapore’s geographical location represents an important maritime hub where our core business of afloat maintenance and repair services will be maximised.”
Attracting some 130 000 vessel calls annually, Singapore has become a strategic port, with vast traffic of oil and chemical tankers, a leading ship repair centre and nearly 40 shipyards able to accommodate some of the largest supertankers afloat
A comprehensive underwater engineering service will be provided, including the Mini Pamper hull cleaning vehicle, which has been designed to successfully clean the new generation of silicone based fouling release coatings. He continued, “Hull cleaning now represents a relatively small part of UMC’s business but we still clean over 400 ships a year around the world and have now successfully cleaned more than 100 with silicone based fouling release coatings. These coatings are a challenge but the years we have invested working with major paint companies, commercial shipping and naval customers to hone our capabilities and gain their approval is now paying off. It is very satisfying to be able to introduce a proven hull cleaning system into Singapore.”
The UMC/MUM partnership will not be an entirely new union; the two companies have had an ongoing relationship of technology transfer and training for some 25 years. MUM’s impressive spread of commercial and naval customers and reliable resources will provide a good base in Singapore to ensure that quality support is offered not only for routine underwater maintenance such as survey, propeller polishing and hull cleaning but also the more demanding services such as the repair and replacement of damaged hull plate, rudders, seals, propellers and transducers.
Steve Tan the co-owner and Director of MUM said, “The combined strengths of UMC and MUM will enable us to deliver an unparalleled quality and range of services to our customers at a competitive price. This is a very exciting development for all of us.“
