Tridock Shipyard Namibia (TSN) is planning to construct what will be the largest dry dock at Walvis Bay, estimated to cost N$13 billion (US$728 million). According to the company’s application for an Environmental Clearance Certificate, the project is currently in its bankable feasibility study phase and will cover 65 hectares of reclaimed land.
It is expected to create up to 1,000 direct jobs and numerous indirect employment opportunities. Once operational, the facility is projected to generate US$150 million (N$2.7 billion) in annual revenue, with expectations of doubling within three years.
TSN was established in 2022 by a team of Namibian entrepreneurs and won the Namport tender in February 2024 to construct a shipyard at the northern port of Walvis Bay.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026 and continue for five years, with three years dedicated explicitly to land reclamation.
The facility is expected to become operational in 2031.
The proposed site is situated near the Walvis Bay Ramsar-listed wetland, which encompasses the lagoon, Pelican Point, the saltworks, and intertidal areas, and is adjacent to the Dorob National Park, an Important Bird Area and an Ecologically or Biologically Sensitive Marine Area. Because the land is zoned “undetermined,” TSN will require consent from the Walvis Bay Municipality for the development.
For project execution, TSN has engaged Royal HaskoningDHV, recognised for its design expertise in high-end ship repair yards, and Damen, a renowned international shipyard constructor.
In 2023, Damen completed a market study assessing shipping traffic along the southwestern coast of Africa, including tankers, naval vessels, dredgers, oil and gas rigs, and fishing fleets.
The study projected a mid-case demand of 188 vessel repairs annually, including 85 boats under 200 metres, 91 ships between 200 and 300 metres, two mining vessels, one offshore rig or drillship, and nine other vessels.
Planned works for the project include land reclamation, dredging for accessibility, temporary dikes, bank protections, quay walls extending more than 1,100 metres in length, a quay wall for a floating dock measuring 210 by 36 metres, and two small jetties for disaster management and pontoon access.
Central to the development will be a graving dry dock of 315 by 60 metres, built without pile foundations and accessed by a gated entranceway.
The entrance will include an intermediate compartmentalised gate of 150 metres. The supporting infrastructure will comprise office buildings, training facilities, warehouses, workshops, canteens, as well as firefighting and medical service facilities.
The expansive shipyard will support a diverse range of floating assets, including offshore oil and gas rigs, floating production storage and offloading vessels, offshore mining vessels, fishing fleets, naval vessels, and offshore support vessels.
The facility is designed to operate continuously, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, in three eight-hour shifts. It will be able to accommodate vessels up to 300 metres in length and 50 metres in beam.
The facility will be equipped with extensive crane capacity, including ten mobile cranes in the 30 to 120 ton range, four mobile cranes between 140 and 650 tons, one mobile crane with a 750 ton capacity, and one crawler crane of 275 tons for changeouts, all with a minimum reach of around 30 metres.
In total, more than sixteen cranes will service the yard. A 1,400-metre heavy-duty quay will provide ample laydown and repair space, while two floating pontoons, each measuring 5,000 square metres, will be available for flexible use on both port and starboard sides of the docking areas.
Once completed, the Walvis Bay drydock will be the largest of its kind not only in Namibia but on the entire west coast of Africa.
It will strengthen Namibia’s maritime infrastructure and provide capacity that is currently unavailable in the country, ensuring that vessels from multiple sectors no longer need to leave Namibia for repair or servicing.
At present, Namibia’s ship repair capacity consists of Namibia Drydock & Ship Repair (NAMDOCK), which operates three floating dry docks in Walvis Bay, and Namport’s Syncrolift, used mainly for smaller vessels. These facilities have served the country’s needs but are limited in scale.
The addition of the TSN dry dock will expand Namibia’s ability to handle the largest offshore and commercial vessels, complementing existing facilities and positioning Walvis Bay as a comprehensive ship repair hub for Southern Africa and the South Atlantic.
