Post steel plate cut, building of ships begins
KOCHI: Construction of two passenger-cum-cargo ships for the Andaman and Nicobar Administration got under way at the Cochin Shipyard after Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Pon Radhakrishnan and N K Premachandran MP ceremonially cut the steel plate on Tuesday.
The ships - No 23 and No 24 - are being designed and built as passenger vessels with electric propulsion system suitable for carrying 1,200 people on board along with 1,000 tonnes of cargo in all weather between the mainland and the islands.
It will also be designed to operate as a Class III special trade passenger ship engaged on international voyages, a release from the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) stated. These vessels are provided with ‘Safe Return to Port’ (SRtP) notation, providing redundancy for the vessel to reach the nearest designated port even in case of an exigency, it said.Kochi-based ship design firm ‘SEDS’ has teamed up with Danish designers ‘Knud E Hansen’ to do the basic design of the vessels.
The ships have been model tested in MARIN, the Netherlands.
The construction of two similar ships with a capacity of 500 passengers and 150 tonnes of cargo for the Union Territory is progressing satisfactorily at the Cochin Shipyard. CSL CMD Madhu S Nair thanked the ministry for its role in arriving at a contract for building these vessels by including the project under the Make in India Scheme.
Directors, senior officers, supervisors and workmen also took part in the event.
CSL completed the construction of 20 fast patrol vessels for the Coast Guard in the last financial year.
The last one of the series was delivered three months ahead of schedule in December.The company also delivered the Deck Cargo/Jacket Launch Barge to the National Petroleum Construction Company of Abu Dhabi in the present fiscal. Apart from the prestigious Indigenous Aircraft Carrier for the Navy, CSL is also building a Technology Demonstration vessel for the government.
‘No privatisation of Cochin Shipyard’
Interacting with trade unions and the associations of CSL, Union Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan categorically assured the shipyard will not be privatised. The upcoming initial public offerings (IPO) is in line with the policy of the Central Government to raise capital for the expansion plans of CSL, he said. Radhakrishnan’s assurance came after the unions voiced their concerns against the IPO proposal saying it was the first step towards privatisation. They also brought out their concerns about insufficient orders for the shipyard. Radhakrishnan reiterated the commitment of the ministry towards major expansion programmes undertaken in CSL.
The ships - No 23 and No 24 - are being designed and built as passenger vessels with electric propulsion system They will also be designed to operate as a Class III special trade passenger ship engaged on international voyages
The ships will be provided with ‘Safe Return to Port’ (SRtP) notation, providing redundancy for the vessel to reach the nearest designated port even in case of an exigencyEach one will carry 1,200 people on board along with 1,000 tonnes of cargo in all weather between the mainland and Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Kochi-based ship design firm ‘SEDS’ teamed up with Danish designers ‘Knud E Hansen’ to do the basic design of the vessels