Transfer of two pilot vessels constructed for Payra Port at Khulna Shipyard
Nasim ul Alam
Two pilot vessels built at Khulna Shipyard have recently been handed over to protect the overall maritime communication including the preservation and development of Payra Port and adjacent waterways.
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, as the chief guest, formally received the newly constructed vessels from the shipyard at a function organized on the occasion. Chairman Payra Port Authority Commodore M Jahangir Alam-BN and Khulna Shipyard MD Captain M Sajedul Karim-BN along with senior military and civilian officials were present on the occasion.
The draft of these pilot vessels is 6 feet, and the length and width overall are 120 feet and 25 feet respectively, These were built at a cost of about Tk. 52 crore. Equipped with two Mitsubishi 1,750 horsepower engines, these pilot vessels are capable of navigating about 1,200 kilometers of marine territory at a speed of about 30 knots. These are also equipped with two NPS diesel 105 kW generators and have a variety of survey equipment including sophisticated echo-sounders, radar and speed logs. The ships will have a manpower of 14 including 2 pilots.
Peerless Ventures Ltd. in Bangladesh provided all the auxiliary and sensor equipment of the two pilot vessels built to a Bureau Veritas compliant design. State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmood lauded the Khulna Shipyard for delivering the two vessels on time and recalled the company's contribution to the development of the country in the shipbuilding sector.
It may be mentioned that Khulna Shipyard has built medium to large warships as well as submarine tugs for Bangladesh Navy including \various types of utility and patrol boats/ships for Bangladesh Army and Coast Guard. The organization has also completed container ships, oil tankers, passenger ships, tourist boats, fire fighting boats and ferries at the civilian level.
The company was able to achieve a net profit of Tk. 61 crore with a pre-tax profit of around Tk. 138 crore in the last financial year.
In the last two decades, Khulna Shipyard has been able to earn a net profit of around Tk. 700 crore, thanks to the tireless work of the workers and management here,
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Khulna Shipyard commenced builds of 3 diving boats for the Navy
Khulna Shipyard is building three diving boats for the Bangladesh Navy. Rear Admiral Ashraful Haque Chowdhury, Commander of Khulna Naval Area, inaugurated the construction work on Thursday.
In addition to assisting Navy divers in their operations and training, the three ships will be assisted in the overall operational work of the Navy, including various activities such as diving treatment. The three ships are 37 meters long, 90 meters wide and 2.2 meters deep. Maximum speed is 15 knots. Construction is scheduled to be completed within the next two years.
Commodore Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury, Commander Flotilla West and Commodore M Zakirul Islam, Managing Director Khulna Shipyard were present on the occasion.
It was informed at the ceremony that Khulna Shipyard Limited started its journey about 72 years ago. On 3 October 1999, the shipyard was handed over to the Bangladesh Navy as a non-profit organization. At present Khulna Shipyard is a for-profit company owned by the Navy. In the last five years, the yard has built ten small warships (350 ton Padma class IPV) and two large warships (large patrol craft LPC 700 ton class) and handed them over to the navy. Besides, altogether 630 ships were built and 2,363 ships were repaired in the yard over its lifetime. Construction of five more small patrol craft (Padma class IPV) for the Navy is underway at Khulna Shipyard.
