The ROGTEC Interview: Dominiek Ampe, General Manager, Dockwise Russia
What is your position in the company and how long have you held this position?
I started working for Dockwise back in 2007 when the company was starting to expand its horizon into the countries of the former Soviet Union. With the signing of several contracts in Russia, it was decided to establish a fully operation Russian daughter company, Dockwise, of which I was appointed General Manager in 2010.
How long have you been in business in Russia and the Caspian?
I fell in love with Russia, the Russian language and the Russian people as an exchange student in Moscow back in 1995. Since that moment, I’ve travelled all over the former Soviet Union, from the Baltics to the Caucasian Republics, from Vladivostok to St Petersburg, from Murmansk to Rostov. I’ve worked for different companies in different business areas, but always Russia first and Russia last.
What companies have you worked with in the Region?
Those would include OAO Vyborg Shipyard, FGUP Artikmorneftegazrazvedka, Gazflot, FGUP Zvezda, FGUP Zvezdochka and the various engineering bureaus, such as Krylov, etc
What is your most recent success in the market?
We take pride in all of our achievements in this area, but the two projects that stand out are the simultaneous transportation of two Soviet era nuclear powered submarines, that were shipped under the Global Partnership Programme from Kamchatka to Bolshoi Kamen for decommissioning, and what we call the Vyborg Project: transportation and integration of 2 semi-submersible drilling rigs by Float-Over operation, where we transported two lower hulls from Vyborg in Russia to the integration site in Korea, loaded a 17.000 tons topside from the SHI yard onto the deck of HTV Black Marlin and integrated the topside with the lower Hull by ballasting HTV Black Marlin between the colums of the ballasted hull to integrate the two separate units into one. We call it “realizing the inconceivable”.
What is your favourite band and track?
As for many people of my age, my real musical awakening started when Nirvana released Nevermind. After that you had to look back and learn the classics.. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, the Doors, … . Nowadays my musical taste ranges from bands like the Dropkick Murphys, which is rather heavy punk music over the Counting Crows to Coldplay to anything that has guitars in it.. but to answer your question… Favorite Band: Pixies but favorite song is Jeff Buckley’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
Where in the world would you most like to visit and why?
There are simply too many nice places in the world to visit, but if I had to choose one it would be the area around Alicante in Spain. I’ve spent numerous vacations with my family there and it always feels like coming home. Nice people, relaxed atmosphere, great food and endless amounts of sunshine in summer!
What is your favourite sport, and what team do you support?
I’ve always been fascinated with sports, but the one that sticks out, as for most people, is football. Having played the game for over 25 years now, it’s nothing short of an addiction. As a Belgian I’ve been a supporter of Standard Liege since I was a little boy. As a fan of the game of football, I love watching Barcelona play.. I know that’s not the most original answer, but watching Lionel Messi in action is always special
What are your thoughts on the Russian oil and gas market through to the end of this year and beyond?
I guess that’s why we’re always present as an active sponsor of the yearly Russia Offshore conference, which is usually held around February-March to find out what the upcoming developments will be. It’s the best place to find out the latest news, plans, programmes, developments, etc…
