Bangladesh bags $20m orders for two small vessels
Sunday, 28 December 2008
Kayes M Sohel
Bangladesh has received orders worth $ 20 million for building two small vessels and a tugboat from Middle East countries at the region's biggest shipbuilding fair in Dubai.
The fresh orders give testimony to Bangladesh's emergence as a global hub for small ocean-going ship building.
The country's ship builders, Ananda Shipyard and Slipways, bagged the new orders at the fair called Seatrade Middle East Maritime 2008, the largest maritime event of its kind in the region.
"We have received orders worth $ 11 million from Iraq to build two crew supply vessels and $ 9 million from Iran for building a tugboat," said Abdullahel Bari, the chairman and the managing director of Ananda, the country's largest ocean-going ship building company.
The two vessels weighing 100 tonnes each will be delivered to Iraq by June, 2010 and a tugboat to Iran by March, 2010, he added. With the latest orders, Ananda's total 'confirmed' export orders have now crossed worth $400 million.
Another two local shipbuilding companies -Highspeed Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Ltd, and Karnaphuli Ship Builders-took part in the fair. A total of 313 companies from 33 countries attended the three-day fair that ended December 16 in the United Arab Emirates. The exhibition is held every two years in Dubai.
Though the two companies did not receive any spot orders they are in negotiations with some Middle East countries for contracts, according to the officials.
"The atmosphere was subdued at Dubai fair because of global financial downturn," said Kazi Amirul Islam, captain of Karnaphuli Ship Builders.
In October this year, Bangladesh made a big impact in the world's biggest shipbuilding fair in Hamburg, bagging export orders worth US$250 million.
"We are, however, hopeful that the demand for Bangladeshi built ships will gather pace because of its lower cost and geographical strategic position," said Islam of Karnaphuli Ship Builders that has already built a number of tugboats for Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).
Previously, such boats were imported from Denmark.
He said: "There will be talks with an Iraqi company for building water vessel and a tugboat. A Sharjah-based shipping company is expected to visit our shipyard soon."
Bangladesh came into limelight in April 2007 when Ananda signed deals worth around $100 million with two German shipping companies to build eight vessels with capacity for carrying 325 containers by June 2010.
The country has become a new destination for construction of small sea vessels, which have an annual market of $400 billion, as traditional shipbuilding nations such as South Korea, Japan and China now focus on large vessels.
Even Vietnam, which is relatively new in shipbuilding, is no longer interested to build ships weighing less than 25,000 tonnes.
Bangladesh has received orders worth $ 20 million for building two small vessels and a tugboat from Middle East countries at the region's biggest shipbuilding fair in Dubai.
The fresh orders give testimony to Bangladesh's emergence as a global hub for small ocean-going ship building.
The country's ship builders, Ananda Shipyard and Slipways, bagged the new orders at the fair called Seatrade Middle East Maritime 2008, the largest maritime event of its kind in the region.
"We have received orders worth $ 11 million from Iraq to build two crew supply vessels and $ 9 million from Iran for building a tugboat," said Abdullahel Bari, the chairman and the managing director of Ananda, the country's largest ocean-going ship building company.
The two vessels weighing 100 tonnes each will be delivered to Iraq by June, 2010 and a tugboat to Iran by March, 2010, he added. With the latest orders, Ananda's total 'confirmed' export orders have now crossed worth $400 million.
Another two local shipbuilding companies -Highspeed Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Ltd, and Karnaphuli Ship Builders-took part in the fair. A total of 313 companies from 33 countries attended the three-day fair that ended December 16 in the United Arab Emirates. The exhibition is held every two years in Dubai.
Though the two companies did not receive any spot orders they are in negotiations with some Middle East countries for contracts, according to the officials.
"The atmosphere was subdued at Dubai fair because of global financial downturn," said Kazi Amirul Islam, captain of Karnaphuli Ship Builders.
In October this year, Bangladesh made a big impact in the world's biggest shipbuilding fair in Hamburg, bagging export orders worth US$250 million.
"We are, however, hopeful that the demand for Bangladeshi built ships will gather pace because of its lower cost and geographical strategic position," said Islam of Karnaphuli Ship Builders that has already built a number of tugboats for Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).
Previously, such boats were imported from Denmark.
He said: "There will be talks with an Iraqi company for building water vessel and a tugboat. A Sharjah-based shipping company is expected to visit our shipyard soon."
Bangladesh came into limelight in April 2007 when Ananda signed deals worth around $100 million with two German shipping companies to build eight vessels with capacity for carrying 325 containers by June 2010.
The country has become a new destination for construction of small sea vessels, which have an annual market of $400 billion, as traditional shipbuilding nations such as South Korea, Japan and China now focus on large vessels.
Even Vietnam, which is relatively new in shipbuilding, is no longer interested to build ships weighing less than 25,000 tonnes.