The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Chittagong

Bangladesh's much potential shipbuilding sector is going to usher another milestone through constructing international standard specialized vessels for foreign buyers.

Western Marine Shipyard Ltd (WMSL), the country's pioneering company in shipbuilding sector, got the order to build a "Floating reception vessel" and a "Pontoon barge gangway with foundation" for LAMOR Corporation AB, a Finland-based internationally reputed company in oil spill response and consultancy services.

After building the vessel, the LAMOR will hand over it to Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) by November next.

As per an agreement singed between the CPA and the LAMOR, the company would supply to the CPA a specialized vessel along with necessary equipment for addressing oily waste pollution in the port jurisdiction that includes up to 50 nautical miles in outer anchorage of the Bay of Bengal from shore.

Officials of the WMSL and the CPA yesterday disclosed the news of landmark progress of the country's shipbuilding sector at a function held in the city's Agrabad commercial area.

Earlier, Bangladeshi shipbuilding enterprises got orders and exported only medium and big-size cargo and cruise ships to foreign buyers of the developed countries of Europe and Asia.

The WMSL arranged the function titled "keel-laying ceremony" that marks formal construction work of a vessel through hitting the hammers twice simultaneously by the officials concerned on a makeshift iron-plate that symbolises the deck-structure of the ship.

WMSL is the first Bangladeshi company in the sector which has earned reputation by receiving export orders to supply ocean- going advanced technology big ships for foreign parties from Denmark, Holland, Germany and Singapore.

CPA Chairman Commodore R U Ahmed spoke at the function as the chief guest while Chairman of the WMSL Saiful Islam and Managing Director Sakhawat Hossain, among others, also addressed it. CPA officials, bankers, representatives from local and international shipping firms were present. The CPA chairman said availability of services in protecting marine environment from oil pollution by engaging such specialised vessel was a commitment of the CPA for fulfilling the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirement.

He said environment protection facility would surely place Chittagong Port among the major safe international seaports in the region.

CPA and WMSL officials informed that the vessel would be capable of collecting operational and oily waste from ocean-going ships in the CPA limit.

The vessel will be designed to work under tropical conditions at high seas and shallow waters and fitted with fire fighting equipment sufficient to fight her internal and surrounding oil spilled areas.

Sakhawat Hossain of WMSL urged the government to ensure duty- free bond facilities and issuance of bank guarantee by Bangladesh Bank as first class international bank, and to fix 'single digit' interest rate of bank loans and special financial allocation for further flourishing the shipbuilding sector.

The CPA chairman told BSS procurement of such specialised vessel and construction of other necessary facilities at shore and harbour to address both oily and solid waste under the port jurisdiction was part of an Asian Development Bank-financed scheme titled "Chittagong Port Trade Facilitation Project".

He said CPA has signed an agreement with a Turkish company to supply a modern "solid waste collection vessel" at a cost of around Taka 13 crore. The ship will be available by 2010.

CPA, he said, has already built a ground oily waste treatment facility at right bank of the river Karnaphuli adjacent to Chittgaong Dry Dock where collected waste oil will be treated and disposed of.