Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), the regional leader in the design, new build, repair, maintenance, refit and conversion of naval and commercial vessels, today marked a major milestone in serving the naval and maritime industry in the UAE and beyond for 25 years.
ADSB commenced operations with the vision of becoming a trusted naval defence partner and a strategic national asset for the UAE. Since then, the business has grown from strength to strength, delivering quality vessels and providing ongoing through-life support to the naval, commercial and luxury yacht sectors, both regionally and globally.
Among its many achievements, ADSB successfully delivered the region’s largest naval shipbuilding programme for the UAE Navy’s six Baynunah-class corvettes and Arialah offshore patrol vessels (OPVs). This year, ADSB signed the largest-ever contract for the company – an AED3 billion deal to build four FALAJ3 OPVs vessels for the UAE Navy.
In its milestone 25th year, ADSB also reinforced its design capabilities and developed, for the first time in the company’s history, a range of boats entirely designed and built at its Abu Dhabi-based 300,000 sq m shipyard. The first prototypes, 12m and 16m fast patrol boats, were unveiled earlier this year at NAVDEX 2021. As other designs and prototypes are being developed, ADSB has a healthy order pipeline to enable it to sustain and grow well into the future.
Over the years, ADSB has successfully grown its international footprint through partnerships with leading industry players to ensure its clients can access the most cutting-edge solutions in the market. While ADSB will continue to develop the country’s sovereign capabilities, the company is placing a greater emphasis on export sales and contributing to a competitive knowledge-based economy.
Khalid Al Breiki, President of Mission Support at EDGE, and Chairman of ADSB, said: “ADSB’s story is one of focused ambition and progress. We are proud to witness the company’s evolution from a home-grown enterprise to the highly competitive and globally recognised shipbuilder it is today. We now have our sights set firmly on the next 25 years of growth.”
David Massey, CEO of ADSB, said: “At ADSB, we have continually invested in our shipyard and in our people to meet the ever more demanding needs of the industry. We truly owe our success to the competencies and skills of our people. We are very proud to be celebrating 25 years’ service to the sector, and want to share our appreciation for the trust placed in us by our partners and clients.”
Running one of the most advanced shipyards in the Middle East, ADSB operates three main naval programmes: corvettes, offshore patrol vessels, and fast patrol boats. The company also offers a full range of maintenance, repair and refit, upgrade and conversion, as well as engineering consultancy services.
ADSB is part of the Platforms & Systems cluster within EDGE, an advanced technology group which ranks among the top 25 military suppliers in the world.