http://www.bssnews.net/newsDetails.php?cat=0&id=149051&date=2010-12-10
Brighter prospect for shipbuilding: UK Naval Architect
DHAKA, Dec 10 (BSS) -) The country’s growing shipbuilding industry will grab a sizable number of global market share in the coming days due to its cheaper labour cost and energetic manpower, says Trevor Blakeley, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA today.
Appreciating Bangladesh’s shipbuilding facilities RINA, a top platform of naval architects in the United Kingdom, executive also observed that Bangladesh has performed well in the global maritime industry in the last few years at a time when many developed and developing countries could not do so during the global financial recession.
He was talking to journalists after he visited Ananda Shipyard and Slipways Ltd (ASSL), one of the leading shipbuilders of the country, at Meghnaghat under Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganj district.
Trevor went round different units of the shipyard and appreciated shipbuilding facilities. Apart from Trevor Blakeley, three other international naval experts were also present during the visit. They are Prof Piri Reis University of Turkey, Associate Prof Motohiko Murai of division of Artificial Environment and Information of Yokohama National University of Japan and Prof Dr S Surrendran of Department of Ocean Engineering of India.
CEO of ASSL Commodore (rtd) SM Monir briefed the expert team highlighting different shipbuilding facilities of the shipyard.
Prof Refayet Ullah of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, ASSL Chairman Dr Abdullahel Bari, managing director Afruja Bari, Deputy Managing Director Abdullah Nahid Nigar and Executive Director M Tariqul Islam were present, among others.
While briefing the expert team, SM Monir said the ASSL has so far exported eight vessels (2900 deadweight tonnage each) to Denmark, Mozambique and Maldives and 10 ships ranging from 5500 to 6100 dwt are being built and two more (7250dwt each) would be started to be built soon.
The expert team made the visit at the shipyard on the eve of the two day international conference on Marine Technology (MARTEC-2010) that begins tomorrow in the BUET conference rooms.
The RINA and department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering of the BUET are jointly organizing the conference. Such kind of high profile conference is going to be held for the first time in Bangladesh. Apart from host Bangladesh, more than 200 experts from UK, Korea, Turkey, India, Japan, Singapore and Malaysian are expected to take part in the international conference, organizers said. A total of 28 stalls will also be set up on the occasion. Bangladesh’s leading shipbuilders including Ananda, Western Marine will display marine technology products in the stalls, said the organizers.
