Abu Dhabi firm to build defence vessels for Kuwait

Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) has won a Dh260 million contract from the Kuwaiti government to build eight boats, as the Arabian Gulf neighbour looks to bolster its maritime patrol and defence capabilities.

The Abu Dhabi-listed company’s shares rose by 10.2 per cent to Dh2.90.

The landing crafts and high-speed protection vessels will be delivered in less than two years.

“The vessels will have high-level requirements, making them globally competitive protection vessels, which will be built by using state-of-the-art multipurpose technologies and equipment,” the Kuwaiti defence ministry said in a statement.

Khaled Al Mazrouei, the chief executive of ADSB, said: “At ADSB, we’ve proven our competence as one of the premiere shipbuilders in the region, and this contract [with Kuwait] further demonstrates our commitment to growing our capabilities and supporting regional partners.”

The global maritime security market is expected to nearly double from US$15.3 billion last year to $22.2bn by 2020, according to a Markets andMarkets maritime report. It forecasts that the vessel security segment would remain the largest contributor for maritime security.

Meanwhile, contracts are still rolling in. ADSB announced this month that it had signed an initial agreement with Drydocks World to create an industrial entity to support maritime projects in the UAE and across the GCC.

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