Western Marine ready to deliver passenger vessel to Chittagong Boat Club

Chittagong 09 January 2012: Western Marine Shipyard, the country’s leading shipbuilding company, is ready to deliver a catamaran type passenger vessel to the Chittagong Boat Club.

Such type of vessels is the largest in Bangladesh and it costs more than BDT 8 crore. The catamaran type passenger vessel was launched on 8th January 2012.

Catamaran is a fully air-conditioned and double hull passenger ship which comply highest safety measures. It is much upgraded in-terms & luxury compared to other passenger vessels, accommodating conference room, children play ground and quality restaurant.

The 32 meters long passenger ship is designed by Cyber Marine, Singapore to accommodate 150 passengers. This vessel is worth more than BDT 8cr. Chittagong Boat Club is the main owner of this vessel. Western Marine Services Ltd. & Chittagong Boat Club will jointly operate the vessel. The vessel is expected to go into commercial operation within this month.

Managing Director of the company Sakhawat Hossain hoped that this vessel would fulfill tourist expectation as it has luxury and safety service. “Such new art in shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh is a sign of emergence of exclusive and unique shipbuilders in the country,” he said.

Mr. Saiful Islam, Chairman of Western Marine, said, “This type of luxuries and modernized tourist vessel will attract national and international tourist s, which will definitely help boost the country’s tourism industry.”

Western Marine delivered two ships to Karachi

Chittagong 05 January 2012: Western Marine Shipyard has delivered two passenger ships to Karachi Port Trust in Pakistan (KPT) today.

The ships were delivered through a function at the Western Marines shipyard in Chittagong. Industry minister Dilip Barua was present as chief guest and High Commissioner of Pakistan H.E. Afrasiab was present as special guest at the function.

General Manager of Karachi Port Trust Operations Rear Admiral Azhar Hayat Western Marine Shipyard chairman Saiful Islam and managing director Sakhawat Hossain, local dignitaries, heads of government bodies were also present at the occasion.

The passenger ships with a carrying capacity of 215 passengers & 10 crews are 30M long & 6.18M broad. The depth of the vessels is 1.8M each.

Western Marine Shipyard was awarded this order upon competing in an international tender, where ship builders of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and other nations were also took part. The construction work of these ships was initiated on the October 2010 and they have been constructed at a cost of BDT20 crore.

Industry minister Dilip Barua said that Western Marine has always uplifted the image of Bangladesh in the globe and they have proven their quality and productivity once again by delivering these ships to KPT.

Saiful Islam said, “It is the first time a Bangladeshi shipyard is delivering ships t Pakistan, this will be an example for increased trade among SAARC nations which was discussed in the recent SAARC conference in Maldives.”

Sakhawat Hossain said, “The shipyard has made another record by building 10 ships in the year 2011. The two of which has been delivered to their owner today.”

Pakistan Ambassador Afrasiab was impressed with the ships saying that this will enhance the bilateral relation between Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Western Marine to deliver two ships to Karachi

Chittagong 04 January 2012: Western Marine Shipyard will deliver two passenger ships to Karachi Port Trust in Pakistan tomorrow (Thursday). The ships will be delivered through a ceremonial function at the shipyard. The representatives of the Karachi Port Trust including the port Chairman, Mr. Muhammad Aslam Hayat will be preset at the ceremony. Besides, local dignitaries, heads of government bodies & foreign missions will also be present in the function.

The ships being delivered are passenger ships with a carrying capacity of 215 passengers & 10 crews each. Each ship is 30M long & 6.18M width. The depth of the vessels is 1.8M. Western Marine Shipyard was awarded this order upon competing in an international tender, in which shipyards from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka & few other countries also took part. The construction work of these ships was initiated in October 2010 and they have been constructed at a cost of BDT20cr.

Western Marine ready to export more vessels to Germany

Chittagong, 26 December, 2011: Western Marine Shipyard, the country’s leading shipbuilding company, has launched another pair of ocean-going vessels for exporting to Germany.

The launching of these two vessels — EMSWATER & EMSFLOW—were carried out on 23rd & 25th Dec 2011 respectively. The two with the total capacity of 10,400 DWT are the fourth pair of vessels in the series of twelve and will be handed over to the German buyer, Grona Shipping GmbH Germany on February 2012.

The previous three pairs were delivered in December 2010, March 2011 and July 2011, creating a history in the Bangladesh shipbuilding industry.

Western Marine has made a record in the shipbuilding history of Bangladesh by constructing eight sister vessels having a total tonnage of 41,600 DWT within the period of one year. This is believed that such vessels were built in the fastest possible time in Bangladesh.

The company struck an agreement with Grona Shipping on January 2008 for building 12 numbers of 5200 DWT capacity vessels. Each of these vessels is worth more than BDT 80cr. Since then the shipyard had been known all over the world as an international standard shipyard by achieving one of the highest worth foreign project in Bangladesh.

The vessels were launched on 23rd & 25th Dec at 1:00 AM. The company’s Managing Director, high officials and employees were present during the launching.

Mr. Saiful Islam, Chairman of Western Marine, said, “I feel happy for such success. I thank the concerned persons who have contributed in making this project successful.”

He also said that the government has given special care and importance to help grow further the burgeoning shipping industry in Bangladesh.

Managing Director of the company Sakhawat Hossain said, “The shipyard production team and practice of corporate culture have helped us launch these vessels timely and safely.

“We are proud of our success that we have been able to write our name in the global arena as a successful shipbuilding nation,” he said.

Western Marine lays four keels to build tankers for Nurjahan Group

Chittagong, 15 December, 2011: Western Marine, the country’s leading shipyard, laid four keels weighing 350 dwt (dead weight tonnage) each to build tankers for Nurjahan Group.

Representatives from Nurjahan Group and Germanischer Lloyd Bangladesh, and 13 honorary consuls of Bangladesh from 12 different part of the world were present during the keel-laying.

The consuls is paying goodwill visit to have a firsthand knowledge of Bangladeshi shipbuilding industry and its opportunity in the international arena. Contract for building the tankers was signed between Nurjahan Group and the shipyard on July 18, 2011. The four oil tankers with capacity of 1350 dwt each will be used by the Group to ferry edible oil within the country.

The consuls were highly impressed to observe the significant advancement of the industry after visiting Western Marine yard. The thirteen consuls were Kazim Ozer from Istanbul, Turkey; Mrs. Zerrin Cakmakoglu from Izmir, Turkey; Ataur Rahman from Auckland, New Zealand; Mrs. Peggy Kalaydjian from Cyprus; Stéfan S. Gudjonsson from Reykjavic, Iceland; Peter Daae from Oslo, Norway; Tuomas Mantysaari & Harry Blässar from Helsinki, Finland; Patrick Swolfs from in Antwerp, Belgium; Amine Laraqui from Casablanca, Morocco; David Kim from Incheon, S. Korea; Christian Pelo from Genova, Italy; Dasho Rinchen Dorji from Phuentsholing, Bhutan.

Saiful Islam, Chairman of the Western Marine, said that Western Marine-built-tankers are of highest standard and 100% class approved. “Today, we need not to import tankers from abroad anymore by spending our hard earned foreign currency. So, we can save millions of foreign currency to bolster our forex reserve,” he added.

Sakhawat Hossain, MD of the Western Marine, conveyed a message to the consuls saying that Bangladesh could be branded as a shipbuilding nations now. “We are building quality sea going ships for European shipowners, which proves our quality,”. He also said, “I hope all the consul generals will go back to their country with a positive impression about our nation and they will deliver this message to their country.”

Western Marine participates in International Maritime show in

Chittagong, 13 December, 2011: Western Marine, the country’s leading shipyard, participated in the Marintec 2011 exhibition, organized by UBM Asia and Shanghai Society of Naval Architects, and Marine Engineers at Shanghai.

The four-day exhibition began from 29 November at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Marinetec 2011 was the ultimate event for marine equipment and machinery maker, suppliers, shipbuilders, classification societies and many others. It is the biggest maritime trade fare in the Asia region which brings together the entire global maritime sector under one roof.

During the exhibition, Western Marine highlighted their quality shipbuilding works and their achievement for successful delivery of series of vessels to the local and European buyers. Presence a Bangladeshi shipyard in the international arena of maritime sector is a matter of immense pride for the nation.

The organizer’s record said around 800 organizations and bodies took part in the exhibition and thousands of enthusiastic visitors swarmed at the event. Apart from regional exhibitors, Europe, Singapore and China also participated in the gala event.

Chairman of Western Marine Saiful Islam said, “The shipyard’s expansion plan is in progress and we are working to reach this goals”

Managing Director of Western Marine Sakhawat Hossain said, “The exhibition was a great success for the company as there had been several meetings with the number of potential buyers and our high officials. We also sit with many machinery makers and suppliers to tie up with them for developing the business further in the near future”.

Western Marine sponsored photo exhibition begins at Drik Gallary

Chittagong, 14 November, 2011: Western Marine sponsored a three day long photography exhibition begins at Drik Gallery at Dhanmondhi in the capital today.

The exhibition titled ‘The Maze of Metal’ is displaying more than fifty one still photos showing the complicated metal works of Bangladesh shipbuilding industry.

Jan Roller Hensen, Deputy Ambassador Denmark to Bangladesh inaugurates the exhibition as chief guest.

The exhibition that will end on 16 November is open from 3.00pm to 8.00 pm for the general people.

The exposition intends to highlight the promising shipbuilding industry of Bangladesh in the local and international arena.

The Photographs displaying in the exhibition have been shot by renowned freelance photographer Din Muhammad Shibly. Shibly is a photo editor in Bangladesh Business magazine. He is also a lecturer in Pathshala, the only institution to provide recognized academic certificate on photography and a visiting lecturer on photography & photo journalism of Dhaka University.

Western Marine chairman Saiful Islam said, “Western Marine has always been very much dynamic in promoting the shipbuilding industry of Bangladesh in the local and international arena through various sources. We believe this exhibition will promote our shipbuilding industry.”

Managing director of Western Marine Md Shakhawat Hossain said, “We are the ship building nation. These photographs will be an archive for next generation. This will also present our work to the world. This exhibition gives a glimpse of what we have attained, and Bangladesh has gone high ‘from shirt to ship.”

Din Muhammad Shibly said, “In photography profession encouragement is the most important factor that a photographer seeks from their surrounding people definitely financial support is also a requirement though we are artists & we only expect admiration from you but we must also make our living. Western Marine gave me the opportunity to be a part of their great work through this. This photograph will tell the success story of Bangladesh ship building industry for next hundreds years.”

Western Marine sponsored photo exhibition start tomorrow

Chittagong, 13 November, 2011: Western Marine will be sponsoring a three day long photography exhibition starts from tomorrow, 14 November, at Drik Gallery at Dhanmondhi in Dhaka.

The exhibition titled “The Maze of Metal” will display more than fifty still photos showing the complicated metal works of Bangladesh shipbuilding industry.

Commerce minister Muhammad Faruk Khan will inaugurate the exhibition at 3.00pm tomorrow. German Ambassador to Bangladesh Holger Michael will be present at the programme as special guest. The exhibition that will end on 16 November will be open from 3.00pm to 8.00 pm for the general people.

The exposition intends to highlight the promising shipbuilding industry of Bangladesh in the local and international arena.

Photographs to be displayed have been shot by renowned freelance photographer Din Muhammad Shibly. Shibly is a photo editor in Bangladesh Business magazine. He is also a lecturer in Pathshala, the only institution to provide recognized academic certificate on photography and a visiting lecturer on photography & photo journalism of Dhaka University.

The show will add great value to the art and culture as it is the first time in Bangladesh a solo photography exhibition is being arranged to display the photographs of a single industry documented in last one year. All the photos will demonstrate the potentiality of the shipbuilding industry in driving the image of the nation much forward. After the event the photos will be open for sale for general peoples.

Western Marine has exported six ice-class cargo ships to Germany within the last nine months only. Their value addition to the commercial sector is highly admired by public and private bodies for their high level of involvement in foreign trade. They have contributed massively in foreign currency earning and mass employment of the nation.

Western Marine participates in German Trade Show in Dhaka

Chittagong, 27 October, 2011: Western Marine, a leading shipyard in Bangladesh, is participating in the three days German Trade Show beginning today (Oct 27, 2011) at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center Dhaka.

Bangladesh German Chamber of Commerce and Industry has organized the trade show to boost trade and commerce between Bangladesh and German.

Western Marine is showcasing its products Ice Class Vessels and excellence in shipbuilding industry with highlighting its successful story of a number of ship deliveries to the German buyer.

Managing Director Sakhawat Hossain said, “The exhibition has the significance for improving bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and Germany, specially in the area of shipbuilding.”

He also said, “Export to Germany has increased 50 per cent and import from Germany rose 36 per cent compared to the last year. So, trade and commerce relation with Germany has turned a new height.”

A number of industries from different sectors, including ready made garment, leather, energy, information technology etc are also taking part in the trade show.

Western Marine participates in maritime fair at Abu Dhabi

Chittagong, 05 October, 2011: Western Marine, a leading shipyard in Bangladesh, participated in the workboat fair at Abu Dhabi.

The three-day fair that started from October 3 was organized by the Seatrade at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. The workboat operators, builders and equipment suppliers showcased their state-of-art maritime products and successful performances at the event titled ‘Middle East Workboat (MEWB) 2011 exhibition’.

It is the biggest trade fair in the Middle East region, which brings the entire global maritime sector under one roof. The Western Marine highlighted their quality shipbuilding performance and their successful achievement of series of vessels delivery to the local and European buyers at the event. Such participation by a Bangladeshi shipyard in the international arena is a matter of pride for the nation, a company official said.

Sources say more than 2,000 workboats are docked or repaired in the Middle East every year and the demand for workboats is growing. Therefore, huge opportunity lies in the Middle East for the emerging shipbuilding nations like Bangladesh.

In 2009, Western Marine had participated in the same exhibition. The number of exhibitors at the fair recorded an increase of 21 per cent this year compared to the 2009 event. Apart from regional exhibitors, Europe, Singapore and China also took part in the exhibition.

Chairman of Western Marine Saiful Islam said the shipyard’s expansion plan is in progress. Three new slipways have been developed in the yard to facilitate construction of workboats and small ships for Arab buyers; he said adding that the demand for workboats in the Arab world has encouraged it to develop further in its performance.

Managing Director Sakhawat Hossain who had represented for Western Marine at the exhibition said, “The exhibition was a great success for the organization. We had several meetings with a number of prospective buyers and deals have also been finalized with three clients”.

Western Marine was the only company to represent Bangladesh among more than 200 exhibitors from all over the world which took part at the exhibition.