By
Rebecca Gibson |
When the world of business is so often portrayed as cut-throat, it’s wonderful when a long-term collaboration works for everyone involved. The partnership between Cofely Axima and STX is just such a successful relationship, resulting in a better service for both companies’ clients.
Simple proximity brought the two companies together some 25 years ago. Cofely Axima (part of GDF Suez) was in Nantes, the STX France shipyard was 60 kilometres away on the coast in Saint-Nazaire. The modern programme of close co-operation started in 2003-4. “It’s based on trust,” says Philippe Le Berre, directeur délégué marine oil and gas, Cofely Axima. “It’s built on human relationships.”
Cofely Axima gets involved in cruise ship projects from as early as the bidding process, to optimise the integration of heating, ventilation and airconditioning (HVAC), to minimise cost and to provide the latest equipment, especially when it comes to energy saving. “There’s never enough space on a cruise ship,” says Le Berre. “As part of the design from the beginning, we can incorporate the most efficient and compact components.”
Since 2004, the partnership has contributed to the building of eight passenger ships for cruise line MSC Cruises. “We have been involved in the adventure with MSC,” says Le Berre. “We started by discussing MSC’s point of view on maintenance so that we could provide the service they wanted.”
By having a specialist HVAC partner, STX need only retain a small dedicated team to interface with Cofely Axima and it can bid for projects in the knowledge that the cost of the HVAC element will not change during the contract. Cofely Axima takes responsibility for design, procurement, installation, commissioning and modifications during the build. “We need to be very flexible,” explains Le Berre. “Ship owners implement large changes during the design phase, setting us problems to which we need to find solutions.”
He adds: “It’s our job to deal with the consequences of modifications within the original schedule. We always take final responsibility for correct installation. If a client has a problem after delivery, we put it right.”
Cruise lines such as MSC are improving their carbon bow wave to reduce harmful emissions and respond to customers’ wishes not to damage the environment through travel. When cruise lines embark on newbuild projects or, more likely in the current climate, the refurbishment of existing ships, Cofely Axima is playing its part by presenting options from its portfolio, such as new refrigerants and equipment to meet the ever more demanding SOLAS regulations.
When afloat, le Berre explains, HVAC is the second consumer of energy after propulsion and in port, it continues to run and becomes the first consumer. New cruise ship projects require a completely new platform to meet green goals. “We present and propose new equipment to build the environmentally friendly ships which passengers and cruise lines want,” asserts Le Berre.
Cofely Axima is engaging in similar win-win partnership models within its group in India, South Korea and Brazil, especially in oil and gas and naval markets. This diversification abroad started in Singapore with work for a Singapore shipbuilder.