With only his imagination and years of professional experience to rely on, Dirk Jan van Mourik started his ship-repair and consultancy business in 1998. Determined to build on the new business, he shifted to ship owning and later to tug boat building and operations in 2007. Avra Towage is a significant player in the business of coastal and deep sea towage, offshore construction, anchor handling, dredging support, buoy maintenance and sea vessel salvage. It manages a fleet of seven tug boats that are all manufactured in Malaysia and operating worldwide, particularly in Europe, the Baltic and Siberian regions, West Africa, South America, Asia and Australia. Distinguished for its competitiveness, professional service and flexibility, Avra strives to provide high quality and value-added services to its clients at competitive rates. The company equips its tug boats with modern equipment and adapts to each project by modifying the boats according to the requirements of the customers. For special and critical assignments, Avra employs the services of a highly skilled crew that is capable of doing multiple jobs. "We often do a lot of long-haul jobs that require us to take two projects in one trip and for these we employ the services of an experienced crew," says managing director van Mourik. Avra's tailor-made approach to doing business has earned the company the esteem of reputable customers such as Total AMS and Van Oord. Based in Rotterdam, Avra maintains a second office in Singapore. With the opening of its Singaporean branch in 2010, Avra is keen on strengthening its Asian business through potential agents, investors and joint-venture partners that are well connected with the local markets. "Our primary goal is to expand our commercial activities in this area," van Mourik says. "We have the assets and the knowledge of operating the business. With the right partner, we hope to achieve this objective."
