The SEA Europe Ship Maintenance, Repair & Conversion (SMRC) group is an autonomous working group of SEA Europe. SMRC represents the interests of the European SMRC industry under the umbrella of SEA Europe. The SMRC industry comprises yards dedicated to maintenance, repair, conversion and retrofitting of ships.
The SMRC industry differs from the ship newbuilding industry. SMRC is a volatile market where ships enter a dry dock for a few days for a quick repair up to a few months for a big conversion. Moreover, the activities at the SMRC yards are different: removal of coating, overhauling of equipment, lengthening ships, installation of retrofit equipment, etc. A dedicated SMRC group can have a better focus on those issues which are of importance for the SMRC industry.
The history of SMRC goes back to the 1970’s when the precursor of SMRC was launched as the AWES ship repairers’ group.