The floating dock represents an alternative to Cape Town and Durban as the only ship-repair facilities in the region.

"This is a deliberate effort by the Namibian Government through NamPort to intensify ship-repair activities with the aim of job creation and economic development," said NamPort Managing Director Sebby Kankondi.

The dock was bought in Malta for some N$30 million by Elgin Brown & Hamer Namibia - a joint venture between NamPort and Elgin Brown & Hamer - which will do all the repairs.

It took the tug Smithwijs 28 days to tow the colossus of 11 500 tonnes from Malta to Walvis Bay, where it is now docked alongside Berth 8.

It will be fitted with equipment before being towed to its prepared basin behind the tanker jetty.

The dock will be equipped with three cranes, of which two are currently being refurbished in Durban.

Full operation is scheduled to start in May.

The newcomer has been operating under the name 'Lara 1' until now, but will soon be renamed 'Namdock' to "better suit its location and to reflect its future role in Namibia," said Kankondi.

'Namdock' has the capacity to lift vessels of up to 150 metres long, 25 metres wide and with a weight of up to 8 500 metric tonnes.

Several vessels can be lifted and repaired at the same time.

It is expected that operations on the floating dock will create about 100 new jobs and will rely on local companies to render services and supply products.

Proper training will be crucial for successful operations.

While an all-Namibian staff is the ultimate aim, foreign experts will initially be responsible for teaching the necessary skills, said Elgin Brown & Hamer Managing Director Rob Deane.

It could take up to four years to establish a local pool of skills to run operations independently, he said.

The cost of the entire project is estimated at about N$65 million.

According to Kankondi, NamPort expects ship repairs to earn the company some N$100 million a year.

The oil industry has already shown interest and Kankondi said repair contracts to oil rigs at Walvis Bay may soon become a reality.

'Namdock' consists of a concrete pontoon flanked by two steel walls.

Because concrete does not deteriorate under water, the floating dock doesn't need regular dry-docking itself.

"Unless the concrete integrity is broken, it can remain in seawater indefinitely without maintenance," said Kankondi.

"It does not attract sea growth easily and any resilient growth will be removed in position periodically."

The container carrier MV Umfolozi, which made headlines in September last year when it sank in the Walvis Bay harbour after a collision with the dredger Ingwenya, could be the first vessel to be repaired at the new dock.

The Umfolozi was said to be too old to be salvaged and was destined to be scrapped.

However, the vessel was recently bought by Wesco Salvage and sold to a company based in London, England.

The Umfolozi will be repaired locally before leaving for the Mediterranean.

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