Damen Schelde Marine Services had a great 2020, according to the company’s Managing Director Arnold Suykerbuyk. “Corona made it a turbulent year, but this was also one of our busiest years.”

In 2020, DSMS benefited from the introduction of IMO 2020, the international regulation that mandates ships to emit less sulphur. “This meant that ship-owners had to adapt their engines, which in practice led to an increased demand for parts,” says Arnold. “But there were also ships that developed engine problems when they started using low-sulphur fuel in order to comply with IMO 2020. This often caused engine damage and, as such, DSMS saw the demand for piston rings, cylinder liners and fuel plungers for auxiliary engines grow particularly strongly.”

The DSMS Team The DSMS Team

The corona crisis also had a positive impact on DSMS in terms of annual results, Arnold continues. “The lockdown in China at the beginning of the year meant that lots of our competitors in Asia were having trouble with their deliveries, while other competitors were struggling to keep their supply chains moving. Because we had a large amount of products on stock, partly due to the preparations we made in 2019 to get ready for the introduction of IMO 2020, we were able to keep up with the demand. We have been able to accomplish high turnover because of this. Demand increased to such an extent that we could easily sell products with longer delivery times, as well as find buyers for parts from our old stocks.”

Of course, it was also “a difficult and turbulent year,” Arnold emphasises. “We had to take measures – such as setting up a rotating system of working from home and working at the office – to minimise the risk of corona; all the while keeping the business running. But the impact of all these measures was nothing compared to the successes and volume of work we experienced this year. In that respect, we had the wind in our sails in 2020.”

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