Drydocks World, a Dubai-based ship repair and retrofit yard owned by global ports and logistics firm DP World, has joined the Maritime Emissions Reduction Centre (MERC), expanding the consortium’s technical and operational capabilities.
The Athens-based non-profit was co-established by the Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and shipowners including Capital Group, Navios Maritime Partners, Neda Maritime Agency, Star Bulk and Thenamaris, with support from classification society Lloyd’s Register. It focuses on practical emissions-reduction and decarbonisation solutions for shipping.
Drydocks World’s engineering and retrofit experience is expected to support MERC’s next phase of work as shipyards take a larger role in installing energy-efficiency and alternative propulsion technologies on existing vessels.
Nikos Kakalis, MERC managing director, said the yard’s involvement adds “applied engineering experience” that will help ensure technologies can be delivered efficiently and safely in real shipyard conditions.
Current research includes studies on efficiency technologies, system integration, hydrodynamics, wind-assisted propulsion and data-driven optimisation.
Captain Rado Antolovic, CEO of Drydocks World, said joining MERC will allow the yard to contribute practical, evidence-based retrofit insight to help shape solutions deployable across different vessel types.
