Dutch co sees Bangladesh next destination for shipbuilding

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FE Report
Bangladesh could be a major market player in global shipbuilding industry as the country has a near ready-made infrastructure and in-built expertise to make ocean-going vessels, a major Dutch shipping company said Saturday.
"Riverine Bangladesh has the infrastructure almost ready for ocean-going vessel construction. All it needs is up-gradation of the infrastructure," said JF Oldenhuizing, a representative of the Dutch company Hollander Scholtens said.
"We see a bright future for Bangladesh's shipbuilding industry. Utilising its huge number of cheap labour, rivers and decades of experience in building riverine vessels, the country can emerge as leading ship-builder," he said.
He made the comments after formally ordering local ship-maker, Highspeed Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, to build eight ice-class ocean-going ship for his Groningen-based company.
Officials of the two companies signed the nearly 90 million dollars, under which Highspeed, the country's oldest shipbuilder, would deliver the ship by 2012.
"We are confident that Bangladeshi shipbuilders can maintain quality. If it can handover the ordered ships in time, many other foreign companies will come here to place order worth hundreds of millions of dollars," Jacob Gnodde, a consultant of the company, said.
K.M Mahmood Ur Rahman, the managing director of Highspeed, said the total value of the agreement could go up-to 200 million dollars within a few years.
Highspeed would now construct a world-class dock-yard at its existing yard at Fatullah, Narayanganj on the river Buriganga, he said, adding infrastructure development would take at least nine months, before they commence ship-making jobs.
"The Dutch company will assist us to develop our infrastructure into a top-class one," he added.
Ananda Shipyard and Slipways Limited based at Meghnaghat and Western Marine in Chittagong have already bagged export orders worth $280 million since the country emerged as a new global destination for shipbuilding last year.
"Some 1000 new jobs will be created when we will start building the ships," Rahman said, adding since 1961 the company has built over 100 small ships for riverine transport, with maximum capacity of 3000 tonnes.