Turkish-based shipbuilding company “ARES”, which has come into prominence with its activities especially in Qatar, has launched two fast patrol crafts within the scope of the contract to supply 14-off ARES 85 HERCULES Fast Patrol Vessels to Royal Oman Police (ROP) signed in 2018. The first ship of the package was launched on September 2019.
The breakthrough in Turkey’s defense industry is not a secret, yet, such an export program which includes fully customized vessels to meet the Royal Oman Police Coast Guard’s needs, and provide the agency with a much-expanded capability to patrol and secure the nation’s waters, is one of the largest scale sales of the Turkish Republic to a foreign country.
ARES has been building fast patrol crafts for the Qatari Coast Guard since they took order of 17 boats at DIMDEX 2014. As a result of their impressive performance , ARES won the Work Boat World’s ‘Best Patrol Boat Builder 2016’ award, in DIMDEX-2018 it took 9 additional orders from the Qatari Coast Guard.
We wanted to get information about the promising works of this company, which has achieved these successes in a such a short time, thanks to young and successful CEO of the ARES Company, Mr. Ozgur Utku ALANC, who responded our call warmly and answered our questions kindly.
Naval News : Dear Mr.Alanc, as far as we know, ARES Shipyard is specifically active at mid-east market. What is the specific goal of your company in that region?
Mr.Alanc : ARES Shipyard has indeed been a global shipbuilder and relevant logistic support services provider for more than a decade. On the other hand, for the last six years, the Middle East has been a significantly active market, especially in terms of paramilitary vessels. Our goal is actually not quite dependent on the region but it is more to provide the best value support to our allies all around the world with tailor-made naval and paramilitary platform solutions in order to give them the best capability to fight against terrorism, piracy, illegal immigration, smuggling and to protect their Exclusive Economic Zones. Having designed and built such customized vessels for each country and end-user naval institution considering their geographic, strategic and economic conditions, we have also been providing Integrated Logistics Support services onsite wherever the end-user is including but not limited to specialized training, preventive and corrective maintenance and supply support. Sustainability of these provisions is our main goal in the Middle East for certain, as well as increasing product range proactively in advance-response to the ever-changing circumstances.
Naval News : What is your current position comparing with other defence companies?
Mr.Alanc : As ARES, our conception has always been the same from the very first day of our establishment. And we defined this as “tailor-made solutions”. ARES is a company which always listens to its customers as a priority. We are a company valuing the requests of our prospective end users. We are willing to let them guide and motive us. We want them to expand our horizon. We do not dictate off the shelf products, instead, we have lots of solutions to offer together with them. I think this is the point we differ from others in the sector. And this is what positions us at a distinguished and advantageous point in the competitive market. As a matter of course, producing customer-focused solutions require a chain of labour-intensive design activities. However, our goal is to keep on creating the best-fit solutions to our customers and pursue this strategy. Once anyone views our product range, it is our distinctive design solutions that excite the attention. Young and ambitious engineers have been realizing these solutions at ARES. We are continuously improving our platforms with the effort and goal of increased availability through our strategic partnerships such as with BMT of UK and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems of Germany. Thus, we are able to respond to almost every kind of vessel requirements from any sector in a very short while.
Our other main distinction beyond shipbuilding is that we have a fully authorized and quality-certified in-house Integrated Logistics Support Department. We do not end up our relationship with our customers with the delivery process. We always take life cycle support into consideration beginning from the concept design phase. We prepare maintenance plans for the products we deliver. We produce technical manuals including operation and maintenance in the desired language and under requested specifications. We make all necessary plans for the vessels we build, in order to fulfil the end-users’ operational expectations and to have them maintain their platforms with the minimum possible cost. Briefly, ARES stands for a problem-free life cycle for the vessels designed, built and delivered.
Naval News : Do you have any activities in other regions like Europe?
Mr.Alanc : We do have activities in Europe as well. However, our current and short term target positioning in Europe is in the offshore and renewable energy sector with our new generation hybrid wind farm support and crew transfer vessels as well as logistic support craft for the offshore energy platforms.
Naval News : Are there specific difficulties in working with Arab countries?
Mr.Alanc : Difficulties experienced during government contracts are pretty much the same all around the world, such as bureaucracy where most of these are fairly seen and acknowledged considering Navies and Coast Guard Institutions are huge corporate structures with extensively varying priorities in terms of Homeland Security. Frankly stating, other than the high temperatures in summer periods, one can hardly count difficulties specific to the region or differing from the rest of the world.
Naval News : Sir, as Naval News team we would like to thank you for the cooperation and detailed information about your company’s work.
Mr.Alanc : We thank you for your interest.
Middle-east portfolio of ARES Shipyard :
- ARES-75 Hercules :
The 24 meters-boat which is sold to Qatari Coast Guard is the smallest members of the Hercules series Patrol Crafts. With 40 sea miles of maximum speed capacity and 360 sea miles of endurance “Ares 75 Hercules” patrol craft has electro-optical sensors against asymmetrical threats and 12.7 mm STAMP Remote Controlled Stabilized Weapon System (RCWS) manufactured by Aselsan.
- ARES-85 Hercules :
ARES-85 Hercules is capable of achieving very high-speeds up to 55 knots which will be used to patrol and secure the nation’s waters, to prevent arms and drug trafficking as well as illegal immigration and to control human trafficking in the Gulf of Oman.
The vessel has a 12.7-mm auto stabilized remote-controlled naval gun which provides versatile firepower which can be adapted to meet the needs of a wide variety of potential scenarios. Additionally, it has a suite of naval communications equipment, electro-optic (E/O) sensors and X-band naval radars. The vessel can launch and recover a military-type RHIB for boarding and SAR missions.
- ARES-110 Hercules :
The 34m length “Ares 110 Hercules” Fast Patrol Vessels, selected as the world’s best patrol vessel in 2016, were planned to be built and during the period from the beginning of 2016 until the end of 2017, a total of 7 “Ares 110 Hercules” was delivered to Qatar’s Coast Guard Command.
Over “Ares 110 Hercules” with 32 sea miles of maximum speed and 800 sea miles of endurance, there are electro-optical sensors to be used against conventional and asymmetrical threats as well as Aselsan production 30 mm “Muhafız” Remote Controlled Stabilized Artillery and two 12.7mm STAMP RCWS. Moreover, on “Ares 110 Hercules” a 7.5 m length Ares Harpoon Fast Intervention Boat remains for the deployment of SAT teams and fast intervention purposes.
- ARES-150 Hercules :
Ares-150 Hercules is at the same time the fastest off-shore patrol vessel. “Ares 150 Hercules” has 48m length, 37 sea miles of maximum speed and 1600 sea miles of endurance.
Against the conventional and asymmetrical threats, electro-optical systems and Aselsan production 30mm “Muhafız” Remote Controlled Stabilized Artillery system and two 12.7 mm STAMP RCWS are mounted over the vessel. Similar to the 34m length configuration, this configuration has two 7.5m Ares 24 Harpoon Fast Intervention Boats for the deployment of SAT teams and immediate intervention. “Ares 150 Hercules” owns operational capabilities up to 6 sea states and stands out as one of the most superior platforms in its class with the speed values 20% over the criteria stipulated by the contract and its superior rotating capability of a radius of 74m and manoeuvre capabilities.
To check out the whole products of ARES Shipyard click here.
ARES Shipyard : The Rising Star of the Mid-East Defence Market:
ARES Shipyard, which is located on the South Coast of Turkey in the Antalya Free Zone, was founded in 2006 as a family-owned enterprise and commenced operations with successful deliveries of small pleasure craft and leisure boats. Thereafter, the Shipyard has gained experience in composite works, ARES have completed entire metal works of a mega yacht project that provided comprehensive knowledge and expertise in high-tensile steel and aluminium builds as well.
After gaining experience in composite, aluminium and steel productions, a critical milestone has taken place in ARES story: strategic decision to build and specialize in “workboats” and “naval craft”. In this perspective, ARES Shipyard has initiated meticulous design, R&D and started to make investments especially in marketing, human resources, organizational management, integrated logistics support, quality assurance management, and production technologies to become a global defense industry supplier.
ARES Shipyard has been collaborating its relations with the most reputable naval design offices like BMT Nigel Gee, Rolls-Royce Design, Gloss Design, KND Kobus Naval Design. Whilst, Shipyard has been also developing new designs, concepts and solutions through its naval architects and industrial designers.
