Bangladesh becoming a major ship builder
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Bangladesh: Export Ship Newbuilding Orders with class Germanischer Lloyd
Bangladesh shipyard Highspeed has won an order of eight 4,500 dwt multi-purpose vessels by Dutch shipping company Hollander Schultens. The ships will be built to Germanischer Lloyd class.
Construction of the vessels with ice class will start in December 2008.The delivery of all units is scheduled to be completed by April 2012. Until then the yard will upgrade its facilities and add modern equipment. This will include the expansion of the dry dock as well as covered sheds and machinery.
Highspeed Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Ltd, based in Fatullah, Narayanganj, is the country's oldest shipyard. It specializes in small river cargo and passenger vessels up to 3,000 tonnes and has built over 100 of these since 1961. It is the third shipyard in Bangladesh to receive export orders.
"The order with Highspeed Shipbuilding is another great step forward for the shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh", C.F. Zaman, Germanischer Lloyd Country Manager Bangladesh, is convinced. The classification society has been represented in Bangladesh since the mid-1980s. An export order for twelve 5,500 dwt multipurpose vessels at Ananda shipyard in November 2007 will also be built to Germanischer Lloyd class. The construction of five multi-purpose dry cargo vessels at Western Marine shipyard has just
begun. The first two keels for the 4,100 dwt vessels were laid at the end of February. The ships were ordered from Danish Stella Shipping and will be built with GL class.
About Germanischer Lloyd
Technical competence, uncompromising quality and first-class service are the prime assets of the classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL). From the foundation in 1867, the core competence has been to set standards in technology, safety and quality for the maritime and industrial sector. In 2007, Germanischer Lloyd turned 140 years old.
Germanischer Lloyd is the market leader in the classification of containerships. Every second containership is built according to GL Rules. Devoted to promoting innovation, sustainability and environmental protection, Germanischer Lloyd also covers all other ship types such as tanker, bulker, multi purpose vessels, high speed ferries and cruise ships. More than 6,500 vessels with 72 Mio GT sail with GL class. The current newbuilding orderbook contains more than 1,800 vessels with 32 Mio GT.
While headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, Germanischer Lloyd has established a global network of 191 offices in 76 countries. 4,200 employees, engineers and other experts, create value for the customers in a consistent manner worldwide.
Bangladesh shipyard Highspeed has won an order of eight 4,500 dwt multi-purpose vessels by Dutch shipping company Hollander Schultens. The ships will be built to Germanischer Lloyd class.
Construction of the vessels with ice class will start in December 2008.The delivery of all units is scheduled to be completed by April 2012. Until then the yard will upgrade its facilities and add modern equipment. This will include the expansion of the dry dock as well as covered sheds and machinery.
Highspeed Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Ltd, based in Fatullah, Narayanganj, is the country's oldest shipyard. It specializes in small river cargo and passenger vessels up to 3,000 tonnes and has built over 100 of these since 1961. It is the third shipyard in Bangladesh to receive export orders.
"The order with Highspeed Shipbuilding is another great step forward for the shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh", C.F. Zaman, Germanischer Lloyd Country Manager Bangladesh, is convinced. The classification society has been represented in Bangladesh since the mid-1980s. An export order for twelve 5,500 dwt multipurpose vessels at Ananda shipyard in November 2007 will also be built to Germanischer Lloyd class. The construction of five multi-purpose dry cargo vessels at Western Marine shipyard has just
begun. The first two keels for the 4,100 dwt vessels were laid at the end of February. The ships were ordered from Danish Stella Shipping and will be built with GL class.
About Germanischer Lloyd
Technical competence, uncompromising quality and first-class service are the prime assets of the classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL). From the foundation in 1867, the core competence has been to set standards in technology, safety and quality for the maritime and industrial sector. In 2007, Germanischer Lloyd turned 140 years old.
Germanischer Lloyd is the market leader in the classification of containerships. Every second containership is built according to GL Rules. Devoted to promoting innovation, sustainability and environmental protection, Germanischer Lloyd also covers all other ship types such as tanker, bulker, multi purpose vessels, high speed ferries and cruise ships. More than 6,500 vessels with 72 Mio GT sail with GL class. The current newbuilding orderbook contains more than 1,800 vessels with 32 Mio GT.
While headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, Germanischer Lloyd has established a global network of 191 offices in 76 countries. 4,200 employees, engineers and other experts, create value for the customers in a consistent manner worldwide.
Raquib
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Bangladesh exports ships to Germany
RMG exports to Germany now recovering
Star Business Report
The sliding garment exports to Germany, the second biggest export market of Bangladesh, is gradually recovering from late last year, says Holger Fraider, deputy head of the mission, German Embassy in Dhaka.
The labour unrest in the readymade garments (RMG) sector, he says, had shaken buyers' confidence driving them away to other countries last year. Consequently bilateral trade with Germany dipped by 8.8 percent.
But from late last year, old buyers started coming back to Bangladesh, said Holger without specifying export figures as these are still not available.
We don't know the exact reasons, but buyers who went away previously are coming back to Bangladesh. May be it's because Bangladesh is giving the best deals and the port is functioning better than before, Holger told some journalists in the city yesterday.
The two-way trade in 2007 amounted to 1.71 billion Euro compared to 1.88 b Euro in 2006. Bangladesh export to Germany in 2007 amounted to 1.50 b Euro, showing a 4.8 percent decrease and Bangladesh import from Germany amounted to 215 million Euro, showing a decrease of more than 29 percent during the period.
About 96 percent of Bangladesh exports to Germany consisted of readymade garments articles, followed by seafood (1.5 percent) and jute and jute products (less than 1 percent).
But this scenario would improve this year, Holger expressed his hopes, buyers are gaining confidence.
Among German goods sold in Bangladesh, the largest single product group is machineries for textile, leather and other industries amounting to one third of the German exports to Bangladesh in 2007. Telecommunication equipment amounts to 12 percent followed by electronic equipment with 11 percent. The chemical product accounts for 7 percent and medical equipment for 5 percent.
The bilateral trade with Germany has developed well from 2002 to 2006 registering a very respectable 88 percent increase in just 4 years. In 2006 alone the bilateral trade increased by 29 percent. Bangladesh exports to Germany increased by 33 percent and imports from Germany increased by 18 percent.
Meanwhile, the German Office for Foreign Trade assigned its correspondent Boris Alex to study Bangladeshi investment market. Boris is now in the city to meet various business leaders and government officials as part of the job.
According to Boris, Germany may be interested in investing in power, infrastructure, textiles machinary etc.
Bangladeshi GDP is close to that of India. Business is happening here, he said, adding that investors feel confident when there is political stability and continuity of policies.
Last year two German shipping companies signed agreements worth around $150 million with Ananda Shipyards Shipways Ltd (ASSL) to build 10 ships. Of these, 4 ships are container vessels with capacity for 6100 tonnes each and 6 ships are bulk vessels with capacity for 5500 tonnes each. The ships have to be built by June 2010. Komrowki Maritim GmbH and Wessels Redeerei GmbH signed the deals with Ananda after inspecting their ship building facilities and structures in Bangladesh on the river Meghna.
RMG exports to Germany now recovering
Star Business Report
The sliding garment exports to Germany, the second biggest export market of Bangladesh, is gradually recovering from late last year, says Holger Fraider, deputy head of the mission, German Embassy in Dhaka.
The labour unrest in the readymade garments (RMG) sector, he says, had shaken buyers' confidence driving them away to other countries last year. Consequently bilateral trade with Germany dipped by 8.8 percent.
But from late last year, old buyers started coming back to Bangladesh, said Holger without specifying export figures as these are still not available.
We don't know the exact reasons, but buyers who went away previously are coming back to Bangladesh. May be it's because Bangladesh is giving the best deals and the port is functioning better than before, Holger told some journalists in the city yesterday.
The two-way trade in 2007 amounted to 1.71 billion Euro compared to 1.88 b Euro in 2006. Bangladesh export to Germany in 2007 amounted to 1.50 b Euro, showing a 4.8 percent decrease and Bangladesh import from Germany amounted to 215 million Euro, showing a decrease of more than 29 percent during the period.
About 96 percent of Bangladesh exports to Germany consisted of readymade garments articles, followed by seafood (1.5 percent) and jute and jute products (less than 1 percent).
But this scenario would improve this year, Holger expressed his hopes, buyers are gaining confidence.
Among German goods sold in Bangladesh, the largest single product group is machineries for textile, leather and other industries amounting to one third of the German exports to Bangladesh in 2007. Telecommunication equipment amounts to 12 percent followed by electronic equipment with 11 percent. The chemical product accounts for 7 percent and medical equipment for 5 percent.
The bilateral trade with Germany has developed well from 2002 to 2006 registering a very respectable 88 percent increase in just 4 years. In 2006 alone the bilateral trade increased by 29 percent. Bangladesh exports to Germany increased by 33 percent and imports from Germany increased by 18 percent.
Meanwhile, the German Office for Foreign Trade assigned its correspondent Boris Alex to study Bangladeshi investment market. Boris is now in the city to meet various business leaders and government officials as part of the job.
According to Boris, Germany may be interested in investing in power, infrastructure, textiles machinary etc.
Bangladeshi GDP is close to that of India. Business is happening here, he said, adding that investors feel confident when there is political stability and continuity of policies.
Last year two German shipping companies signed agreements worth around $150 million with Ananda Shipyards Shipways Ltd (ASSL) to build 10 ships. Of these, 4 ships are container vessels with capacity for 6100 tonnes each and 6 ships are bulk vessels with capacity for 5500 tonnes each. The ships have to be built by June 2010. Komrowki Maritim GmbH and Wessels Redeerei GmbH signed the deals with Ananda after inspecting their ship building facilities and structures in Bangladesh on the river Meghna.
Raquib
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Bangladesh exports ships to Germany
RMG exports to Germany now recovering
Star Business Report
The sliding garment exports to Germany, the second biggest export market of Bangladesh, is gradually recovering from late last year, says Holger Fraider, deputy head of the mission, German Embassy in Dhaka.
The labour unrest in the readymade garments (RMG) sector, he says, had shaken buyers' confidence driving them away to other countries last year. Consequently bilateral trade with Germany dipped by 8.8 percent.
But from late last year, old buyers started coming back to Bangladesh, said Holger without specifying export figures as these are still not available.
We don't know the exact reasons, but buyers who went away previously are coming back to Bangladesh. May be it's because Bangladesh is giving the best deals and the port is functioning better than before, Holger told some journalists in the city yesterday.
The two-way trade in 2007 amounted to 1.71 billion Euro compared to 1.88 b Euro in 2006. Bangladesh export to Germany in 2007 amounted to 1.50 b Euro, showing a 4.8 percent decrease and Bangladesh import from Germany amounted to 215 million Euro, showing a decrease of more than 29 percent during the period.
About 96 percent of Bangladesh exports to Germany consisted of readymade garments articles, followed by seafood (1.5 percent) and jute and jute products (less than 1 percent).
But this scenario would improve this year, Holger expressed his hopes, buyers are gaining confidence.
Among German goods sold in Bangladesh, the largest single product group is machineries for textile, leather and other industries amounting to one third of the German exports to Bangladesh in 2007. Telecommunication equipment amounts to 12 percent followed by electronic equipment with 11 percent. The chemical product accounts for 7 percent and medical equipment for 5 percent.
The bilateral trade with Germany has developed well from 2002 to 2006 registering a very respectable 88 percent increase in just 4 years. In 2006 alone the bilateral trade increased by 29 percent. Bangladesh exports to Germany increased by 33 percent and imports from Germany increased by 18 percent.
Meanwhile, the German Office for Foreign Trade assigned its correspondent Boris Alex to study Bangladeshi investment market. Boris is now in the city to meet various business leaders and government officials as part of the job.
According to Boris, Germany may be interested in investing in power, infrastructure, textiles machinary etc.
Bangladeshi GDP is close to that of India. Business is happening here, he said, adding that investors feel confident when there is political stability and continuity of policies.
Last year two German shipping companies signed agreements worth around $150 million with Ananda Shipyards Shipways Ltd (ASSL) to build 10 ships. Of these, 4 ships are container vessels with capacity for 6100 tonnes each and 6 ships are bulk vessels with capacity for 5500 tonnes each. The ships have to be built by June 2010. Komrowki Maritim GmbH and Wessels Redeerei GmbH signed the deals with Ananda after inspecting their ship building facilities and structures in Bangladesh on the river Meghna.
:The Daily Star: Internet Edition
RMG exports to Germany now recovering
Star Business Report
The sliding garment exports to Germany, the second biggest export market of Bangladesh, is gradually recovering from late last year, says Holger Fraider, deputy head of the mission, German Embassy in Dhaka.
The labour unrest in the readymade garments (RMG) sector, he says, had shaken buyers' confidence driving them away to other countries last year. Consequently bilateral trade with Germany dipped by 8.8 percent.
But from late last year, old buyers started coming back to Bangladesh, said Holger without specifying export figures as these are still not available.
We don't know the exact reasons, but buyers who went away previously are coming back to Bangladesh. May be it's because Bangladesh is giving the best deals and the port is functioning better than before, Holger told some journalists in the city yesterday.
The two-way trade in 2007 amounted to 1.71 billion Euro compared to 1.88 b Euro in 2006. Bangladesh export to Germany in 2007 amounted to 1.50 b Euro, showing a 4.8 percent decrease and Bangladesh import from Germany amounted to 215 million Euro, showing a decrease of more than 29 percent during the period.
About 96 percent of Bangladesh exports to Germany consisted of readymade garments articles, followed by seafood (1.5 percent) and jute and jute products (less than 1 percent).
But this scenario would improve this year, Holger expressed his hopes, buyers are gaining confidence.
Among German goods sold in Bangladesh, the largest single product group is machineries for textile, leather and other industries amounting to one third of the German exports to Bangladesh in 2007. Telecommunication equipment amounts to 12 percent followed by electronic equipment with 11 percent. The chemical product accounts for 7 percent and medical equipment for 5 percent.
The bilateral trade with Germany has developed well from 2002 to 2006 registering a very respectable 88 percent increase in just 4 years. In 2006 alone the bilateral trade increased by 29 percent. Bangladesh exports to Germany increased by 33 percent and imports from Germany increased by 18 percent.
Meanwhile, the German Office for Foreign Trade assigned its correspondent Boris Alex to study Bangladeshi investment market. Boris is now in the city to meet various business leaders and government officials as part of the job.
According to Boris, Germany may be interested in investing in power, infrastructure, textiles machinary etc.
Bangladeshi GDP is close to that of India. Business is happening here, he said, adding that investors feel confident when there is political stability and continuity of policies.
Last year two German shipping companies signed agreements worth around $150 million with Ananda Shipyards Shipways Ltd (ASSL) to build 10 ships. Of these, 4 ships are container vessels with capacity for 6100 tonnes each and 6 ships are bulk vessels with capacity for 5500 tonnes each. The ships have to be built by June 2010. Komrowki Maritim GmbH and Wessels Redeerei GmbH signed the deals with Ananda after inspecting their ship building facilities and structures in Bangladesh on the river Meghna.
:The Daily Star: Internet Edition
khanz
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i heard bangladesh is having one of the longest beaches in the world i've been looking at pics of it on another forum and it looks amazing and much cleaner than any beach i've been to in india and pak why is it not a major international tourist attraction ? it could be the sharm el sheikh of south asia and great for the bangladeshi economy 
Raquib
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Meghna Group unveils massive investment plans
Mushir Ahmed
Leading conglomerate Meghna Group Wednesday unveiled an array of new investment as part of a massive expansion of its business, top executives said.
The Tk40 billion sprawling group, which hit the headline recently for a row over its Fresh brand, signed a US$35 million dollars deal with South Korean shipbuilding giant STX to build the country's largest ship-manufacturing facility.
The Group said it bought a salt plant from ailing Globe Janakantha Shilpa Paribar for Tk 180 million and invested over Tk1.00 billion in a paper plant and another $12 million in a 25megawatt power plant to cement its position as the leading conglomerate of the country.
"Our ultimate goal is to build a billion dollar company as soon as possible," the group's General Manager Afzal Hossain said, adding the group's present turnover is around Tk40.00 billion with big stakes in edible oil, sugar and cement.
Chairman Mostofa Kamal said his group wants to build the biggest shipbuilding facility in the country, investing over $100 million in two years.
"Our aim is to be big in the fast booming sector. We could have signed deal with a lesser known company to build the shipbuilding facility. But we chose world-famed STX to build our slipways and the shipbuilding yard," he said.
STX Heavy Industries is one of the top six shipbuilding companies in South Korea, which made the country the world's largest shipbuilders.
The company builds large oil tanker and ships weighing over 25000 dead weight tonnes for clients all over the globe. It has shipbuilding joint ventures in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Kamal said his Meghna Shipbuilding company would start operating later this year after STX completes half the work for the slipways and shipbuilding yard on a 33 acres land on the river Meghna.
"In the first two years we can build four ocean going vessels a year. But after our total facility is built, we will be able to churn out one ship a month. And STX has said it would also do marketing for us," he said.
Meghna will very soon go massively into steel and already it has bought over 150 acres of land for the venture, he said, without disclosing the amount he plans to invest.
General manager Afzal said the family-owned group is also investing in sugar, cement and automatic flour mill to consolidate its position as the leader in commodities.
The company has already commissioned an automatic flour mill with the capacity to produce 500 metric tonnes flour a day at the factory site in Meghnaghat in Munshiganj, he said.
Meghna sells Fresh brand flour in the market, but it has lost the leading position to City Group, another of the country's family-owned commodity conglomerates.
The company last year doubled its cement production to a million tonnes a year despite a dull in the construction business due to the government's anti-graft crackdown.
This year the company has already started work to expand cement output by another 2000 tonnes a day, Afzal said, adding the group is banking on a recovery of construction activities in the country.
The Group is also one of the largest sugar refiners with a capacity to refine 1200 tonnes a day. It is now setting up another refinery with a production capacity of 1000 tonnes a day, he said.
Meghna is the country's largest mineral water and feed mill producer and woven bag manufacturer. Last year it doubled its mineral water production amid a rapid rise in mineral water consumption across the country.
The company produces 28 megawatt power a day, much of which is sold to the state-owned Power Development Board. It commissioned a $12 million plant from Rolls Royce to add another 25 megawatt power to its existing capacity.
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/sear...p;news_id=31768
Mushir Ahmed
Leading conglomerate Meghna Group Wednesday unveiled an array of new investment as part of a massive expansion of its business, top executives said.
The Tk40 billion sprawling group, which hit the headline recently for a row over its Fresh brand, signed a US$35 million dollars deal with South Korean shipbuilding giant STX to build the country's largest ship-manufacturing facility.
The Group said it bought a salt plant from ailing Globe Janakantha Shilpa Paribar for Tk 180 million and invested over Tk1.00 billion in a paper plant and another $12 million in a 25megawatt power plant to cement its position as the leading conglomerate of the country.
"Our ultimate goal is to build a billion dollar company as soon as possible," the group's General Manager Afzal Hossain said, adding the group's present turnover is around Tk40.00 billion with big stakes in edible oil, sugar and cement.
Chairman Mostofa Kamal said his group wants to build the biggest shipbuilding facility in the country, investing over $100 million in two years.
"Our aim is to be big in the fast booming sector. We could have signed deal with a lesser known company to build the shipbuilding facility. But we chose world-famed STX to build our slipways and the shipbuilding yard," he said.
STX Heavy Industries is one of the top six shipbuilding companies in South Korea, which made the country the world's largest shipbuilders.
The company builds large oil tanker and ships weighing over 25000 dead weight tonnes for clients all over the globe. It has shipbuilding joint ventures in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Kamal said his Meghna Shipbuilding company would start operating later this year after STX completes half the work for the slipways and shipbuilding yard on a 33 acres land on the river Meghna.
"In the first two years we can build four ocean going vessels a year. But after our total facility is built, we will be able to churn out one ship a month. And STX has said it would also do marketing for us," he said.
Meghna will very soon go massively into steel and already it has bought over 150 acres of land for the venture, he said, without disclosing the amount he plans to invest.
General manager Afzal said the family-owned group is also investing in sugar, cement and automatic flour mill to consolidate its position as the leader in commodities.
The company has already commissioned an automatic flour mill with the capacity to produce 500 metric tonnes flour a day at the factory site in Meghnaghat in Munshiganj, he said.
Meghna sells Fresh brand flour in the market, but it has lost the leading position to City Group, another of the country's family-owned commodity conglomerates.
The company last year doubled its cement production to a million tonnes a year despite a dull in the construction business due to the government's anti-graft crackdown.
This year the company has already started work to expand cement output by another 2000 tonnes a day, Afzal said, adding the group is banking on a recovery of construction activities in the country.
The Group is also one of the largest sugar refiners with a capacity to refine 1200 tonnes a day. It is now setting up another refinery with a production capacity of 1000 tonnes a day, he said.
Meghna is the country's largest mineral water and feed mill producer and woven bag manufacturer. Last year it doubled its mineral water production amid a rapid rise in mineral water consumption across the country.
The company produces 28 megawatt power a day, much of which is sold to the state-owned Power Development Board. It commissioned a $12 million plant from Rolls Royce to add another 25 megawatt power to its existing capacity.
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/sear...p;news_id=31768
Raquib
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Ananda wins $67m German order to build four ships
Sohel Parvez
Ananda Shipyard and Slipways yesterday inked a $67 million deal with a German company to supply four ships, a further evidence of the recent boom in Bangladesh's shipyards.
With the deal, the value of total orders fetched by Ananda Shipyard stands at about $217million for building 16 vessels. Ananda will now have to hand over these four ships of 7,100 dead weight tones (DWT) to the German buyer Hermann Lohmann by 2011.
Afruja Bari, managing director (MD) of Ananda Shipyard, and Hermann Lohmann, a director of the German company, signed the deal on behalf of their respective organisations, according to a press release.
"It's a big achievement. Our main goal now is to maintain quality and ensure timely delivery," the Ananda Shipyard MD told The Daily Star yesterday.
Bangladesh has started drawing attention of the global shipping companies amid traditional shipbuilding nations' focus to build large ships. South Korea and China usually build large ships.
Now, industry people said, these countries are reluctant to build small ships.
It has created a great opportunity for us," Md Saiful Islam, chairman of Western Marine Shipyard Ltd, which has also won orders to build small ships in January 2008.
"The global market for small ships is worth $ 400 billion ," the Western Marine chairman earlier told The Daily Star.
Local shipbuilders have been building ships of global standard since early 2000. Ananda was the pioneer in wining the confidence of international buyers, especially from Europeans, in 2005.
The company is set to handover its first consignment of ships to a European buyer on May 15.
Cost competitiveness, technical know-how, skilled manpower and above all excellent communication skills of Bangladeshi ship builders helped get orders, industry stakeholders said.
The Ananda Shipyard MD said Bangladesh has been able to exploit the benefit of skilled workforce in building ships as some workers, who have working experience in different foreign countries, already came back to their own country.
Stakeholders said, thousands of Bangladeshis are now employed in Singapore, Korea and Dubai shipyards.
Bangladesh is also known for its small shipbuilding industry, which churns out dozens of launches every year. These shipbuilders have set up their construction units at various places such as Narayanganj and Khulna.
Industry people said about 300 small and large shipyards are now in Bangladesh, which employed about 1.0 lakh people.
Abdullahel Bari, chairman of Ananda Shipyard, said his company wants to construct vessels with higher capacity in coming days.
"In future, I wish to make ships of 100,000 dead weight tonnes," he said.
:The Daily Star: Internet Edition
Sohel Parvez
Ananda Shipyard and Slipways yesterday inked a $67 million deal with a German company to supply four ships, a further evidence of the recent boom in Bangladesh's shipyards.
With the deal, the value of total orders fetched by Ananda Shipyard stands at about $217million for building 16 vessels. Ananda will now have to hand over these four ships of 7,100 dead weight tones (DWT) to the German buyer Hermann Lohmann by 2011.
Afruja Bari, managing director (MD) of Ananda Shipyard, and Hermann Lohmann, a director of the German company, signed the deal on behalf of their respective organisations, according to a press release.
"It's a big achievement. Our main goal now is to maintain quality and ensure timely delivery," the Ananda Shipyard MD told The Daily Star yesterday.
Bangladesh has started drawing attention of the global shipping companies amid traditional shipbuilding nations' focus to build large ships. South Korea and China usually build large ships.
Now, industry people said, these countries are reluctant to build small ships.
It has created a great opportunity for us," Md Saiful Islam, chairman of Western Marine Shipyard Ltd, which has also won orders to build small ships in January 2008.
"The global market for small ships is worth $ 400 billion ," the Western Marine chairman earlier told The Daily Star.
Local shipbuilders have been building ships of global standard since early 2000. Ananda was the pioneer in wining the confidence of international buyers, especially from Europeans, in 2005.
The company is set to handover its first consignment of ships to a European buyer on May 15.
Cost competitiveness, technical know-how, skilled manpower and above all excellent communication skills of Bangladeshi ship builders helped get orders, industry stakeholders said.
The Ananda Shipyard MD said Bangladesh has been able to exploit the benefit of skilled workforce in building ships as some workers, who have working experience in different foreign countries, already came back to their own country.
Stakeholders said, thousands of Bangladeshis are now employed in Singapore, Korea and Dubai shipyards.
Bangladesh is also known for its small shipbuilding industry, which churns out dozens of launches every year. These shipbuilders have set up their construction units at various places such as Narayanganj and Khulna.
Industry people said about 300 small and large shipyards are now in Bangladesh, which employed about 1.0 lakh people.
Abdullahel Bari, chairman of Ananda Shipyard, said his company wants to construct vessels with higher capacity in coming days.
"In future, I wish to make ships of 100,000 dead weight tonnes," he said.
:The Daily Star: Internet Edition
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