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.

Western Marine lays keel to build dredger, workboat for Mongla Port Authority

Chittagong, 03 October, 2011: Western Marine Shipyard Ltd laid a keel to build the workboat and cutter suction dredger at the Mongla Port, the country’s second largest river port.

The workboat is 11.95 meter in length, which will act as an ancillary facility for the cutter suction dredger with 14 meter dredging depth. The dredger will be jointly built by the shipyard and the world renowned Holland based dredger manufacturer IHC Merwede under the supervision of the class Bureau Veritas & the work boat under Germanischer Lloyd.

To this effect, on March last, an agreement under the name of “Procurement of Cutter Suction Dredger with Ancillary Facility” was signed by the MPA and the IHC-WMShL Ltd.

Chairman of Mongla Port Authority (MPA), Commodore M A K Azad, ndc, psc, BN, inaugurated the keel-laying ceremony as the chief guest at the Kolagaon, Patiya on September 29.

After laying the keel, the MPA chairman spoke high about the shipbuilding industry and said, “The finest quality ships built by the local shipbuilders for the foreign ship owners will brighten our image further in the overseas.”

He also said, the MPA expects international standard service from the Western Marine and we are hopeful the shipyard will be appreciated once again by the world for its successful building the dredger and the workboat for port use.

Western Marine Chairman Saiful Islam has expressed his optimism about the success of the project.

“For the first time in Bangladesh, the dredger is going to be built,” he said adding that they also plan to secure a big portion of the market share in the shipbuilding industry.

Being a riverine nation, Bangladesh will require more dredgers in the future to maintain a certain level of depth in the river ways for navigation, he said.

He also mentioned that the Western Marine always focuses on development of the nation by supporting the public sector.

The shipyard Managing Director, Sakhawat Hossan stated that the dredger will be a world class dredger. He said, “We have made the joint venture with IHC Merwede for technology transfer and know-how, as they are the best in it. Western Marine never compromises with its quality”.

Bangladesh has recently taken initiative to dredge the port channels in order to enable the larger vessels to use the sea ports.

Western Marine inks deal with Nurjahan Group to build six cargo

Chittagong, 13 September, 2011: Western Marine Shipyard Ltd, a leading shipyard in the country, will build six cargo ships for Nurjahan Logistics Ltd with capacity of 1800 dwt (dead weight tonnage) each at a cost of more than BDT 12 crore. These cargo ships will ensure speedy transportation of imported wheat from the outer anchorage to their flour mill at Rupgonj.

Mr. Md. Sakhawat Hossain, MD of Western Marine and Mr. Zahir Ahammed, MD of Nurjahan Group signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations Sunday, (11 September, 2011) at a hotel in the port city.

Both the organizations hope that commissioning of these cargo ships will help keep food price at a reasonable level by supplying rapidly of wheat from the outer anchorage to flour mill. The Group basically imports of essential products, edible oil, wheat and spices.

The length of vessels are 60.00 meter (m), breadth 9.00 m, depth 4.8m approved by class Germanischer Lloyd. The vessels will be built complying necessary safety and environmental measures. Western Marine expects to deliver the vessels in phases within next one or one and a half year after initiation of project work.

The Chairman of the yard Mr. Saiful Islam said cargo ships built by Western Marine are of the highest standard and are 100% class approved. So, we need not to import cargo ships from abroad anymore by spending our hard earned foreign currency, he said.

MD Mr. Hossain said that this agreement is an opportunity for the organization to contribute to the national economy as it will help keep food price stable due to rapid transportation of wheat across the country. MD of Nurjahan Group has also expressed his satisfaction over the contract signed.

New generation takes over Germanischer Lloyd Bangladesh

Chittagong, August 06, 2011: Germanischer Lloyd (GL) Bangladesh Limited, a ship classification society based in Hamburg, Germany, has appointed Mr. A K M Masud Karim as its managing director. He has taken over the responsibilities from Mr. C. F. Zaman on 4th August, 2011.

Mr. Zaman served Bangladesh Shipping Community in the last 48 years. Under his leadership, the GL as a ship classification society supported modern shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh to move forward. Mr. Zaman retired from GL at the age of sixty five on 4th August, 2011, after serving 25 years in the GL.

After obtaining graduation from Bangladesh Marine Academy in 1986, Mr. A K M Masud Karim joined Bangladesh Shipping Corporation as Engine Cadet. He has completed Class One Marine Engineer from South Syneside College, UK.

He has served different national and international shipping companies. Mr. Karim also served in the position of Factory Manager in Pepsi Plant, Transcom Beverage Limited in Chittagong.

Before taking charge from Mr. Zaman as Managing Director of GL Bangladesh, he was surveyor of the GL since 2005. He also worked at the international shipbuilding project in China and India in different shipyards.

Germanischer Lloyd has played a vital role in uplifting the shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh.

Western Marine Plants Three Hundred Trees

Chittagong, August 02, 2011: Western Marine Shipyard Ltd, the country’s leading shipbuilding company, on Tuesday (1st August 2011) launched tree plantation in its yard.

As part of its initiatives, Western Marine Shipyard will plant 1000 trees in phases in the yard aiming at environment protection, which will help increase the oxygen level and reduce extreme heat created by the intensive metal work in the shipyard.

Western Marine Shipyard has taken this noble initiative by planting 300 plants initially. The top management and the middle management of the shipyard participated in this task in the presence of the Managing Director, Sakhawat Hossain and Technical Director Mr. Arifur Rahman Khan.

Western Marine Shipbuilders to build RORO ferry for (BIWTC)

Chittagong, July 29, 2011: Shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh has emerged enormously in the recent years as an opportunity for import substitute. Inland vessels & local ships which used to be imported from Europe once are now being constructed in our own land. One of them is called Roll-on/Roll-Off Ferry (RORO ferry).

There are twelve Ro-ro ferries in Bangladesh which are owned & managed by Bangladesh Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) under the Ministry of Shipping. These ferries were procured from Denmark & Chaina 20 to 25 years back.

Today another RORO ferry will be added in the fleet of BIWTC. Much more advanced & sophisticated, approved by class GL. She will carry passenger & motor vehicles in the Chorjanajat-Mawa route connecting Madaripur with the capital, further enhancing the inland communication system.

This ferry has been named after the freedom fighter “Birsestho Md. Ruhul Amin”. Ruhul Amin was an engineroom artificer in the Bangladesh Navy who was posthumously awarded the nation’s highest gallantry award “Birsestho” for his bravery & heroic service during the Libaration War.

Western Marine Shipbuilders to build Pilot Cum Service Vessel for CPA

Chittagong, July 29, 2011: Pilot vessels are essential for port service. Chittagong Port has several pilot boats for carrying maritime pilots from shore to the outer anchorage, who guides incoming vessels to the port safely using the port connecting channel.

This is necessary as pilotage techniques vary in each harbor which master of a ship is not familiar with. To bring an incoming vessel to the port from the outer anchorage pilots rely on nearby visual reference points and local knowledge of tides, swells, currents, depths and shoals that might not be readily identify able on nautical charts. In this same way a pilot escorts a ship out of his port & returns with a pilot boat. These boats must be able to withstand heavy seas and bumping against 100,000 ton ships, they are high powered and hence very quick and durable, purpose built boats.

History of pilot goes back to ancient Greece and Roman times, when locally experienced harbour captains, mainly local fishermen, were employed by incoming ships captain to safely bring into port their trading vessel. These people were generally self-employed, meaning that they had to have quick transport to get them from the incoming ships. As pilots were often dual-employed, hence they used their own fishing boats to reach the incoming vessel. But fishing boats were heavy working boats, and fPV Rakkhi is the first & only pilot cum service vessel which will be added in the fleet of Chittagong Port Authority from today. This boat will not only carry pilots but it will be equipped to provide emergency service to incoming & outgoing vessels. She can carry 12 passengers & 10crews with emergency equipment for use in vessels. Designed to operate round the year within the coastal & sea region of Bangladesh during monsoon rough sea condition (BF-7) with minimum 3M swell height. Class approved by GL she is made with highly strengthened steel to withstand heavy bumping with LCCs & VLCCs.

Western Marine Delivers Four Vessels to Germany & Bangladesh govt.

Chittagong, July 29, 2011: ountry’s leading shipbuilding company, Western Marine Shipyard Ltd today delivered four vessels to the German buyer Grona Shipping and Bangladesh government creating another milestone in the shipbuilding industry of Bangladesh.

Among the four vessels, German buyer Grona Shipping received two 5200 DWT MPC Vessels and another two vessels were delivered to the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) and Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).

Western Marine Shipyard today handed over the ships at a function conducted on BIWTC Ro-ro ferry “Birsrestho Ruhul Amin” anchored at CPA Marine Workshop Ghat in Agrabad, Chittagong. Minister for Shipping Mr. Shajahan Khan, MP attend the ceremony as the chief guest. Mr. Akhteruzzaman Chowdhury, MP; Mr. Abdul Mannan Howlader, Secretary for Shipping; Mr. Jalal Ahmed, Vice-Chairman of Export Promotion Brueau Bangladesh; Mr. Alphons Hennekens, Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh & Mr. Rolf Dieter Reinhard, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Bangladesh were present as Special guests during the occasion. Besides, Managing Director of Germanischer Lloyd Bangladesh Mr C F Zaman was also present amongst others in the event.

The financers of the three projects BRAC Bank, One Bank, & IFIC Bank were represented by their Managing Directors Mr. Syed Mahbubur Rahman, Mr. Farman R Chowdhury and Mr. Mohammad Abdullah respectively.

The three daughters and one son of Birsrestho Shahid Ruhul Amin: Nurzahan Begum, Fatema Begum, Rizia Begum & Mr. Showkat Ali were invited honoring the family of the great hero Ruhul Amin who was posthumously awarded the highest bravery award of the nation for his gallantry service during liberation war. The roro ferry for BIWTC has been named after this great hero.

Managing Director of Grona Shipping, Germany Mr. Ebbe Prins took the delivery of two vessels for German shipping company. These vessels are the third among six pairs of the well-known 5200 DWT Ice Class vessels, EMSTIDE & EMSWAVE.

Chairman of BIWTC Mr. Golam Mostafa and Chairman of CPA Cdre Mr. Anwarul Islam took the delivery of the two ships on behalf of their respective organizations. These two vessels will be operated by the Ministry of Shipping of Bangladesh Government. The one vessel titled ‘Bir Sreshtho Ruhul Amin’, is the largest ever ro-ro ferry built for Bangladesh by a local shipbuilding company. It having the carrying capacity of 370 passengers with 27 trucks will ferry between Chorjanajat-Mawa and Madaripur route.

Another vessel is a pilot cum service vessel built for CPA called “PV Rakkhi” has been designed to carry pilots and sailors from the shore to the outer anchorage. Speaking at the occasion Mr. Shajahan Khan MP said, “It is amazing to see that within a short span of 10 years this yard has transformed itself from local to global and built the image of Bangladesh as one of the international shipbuilding nations in the world.”

“The present situation of the global shipbuilding industry has presented it with a golden opportunity and our entrepreneurs as well as the government has rightly taken initiatives and expressed keen interest in promoting shipbuilding as a major exporting industry. This will not only solve unemployment problems but also boost foreign currency earning that will contribute a lot in country’s economic growth.”

Western Marine shipyard chairman Mr. Saiful Islam requested the government to continue to act as a facilitator in maintaining a business friendly environment for the development of this nascent shipbuilding industry and raise the status of Bangladesh as a middle-income-country. Mr Sakhawat Hossain said the Germanischer Lloyd approved vessels have been successfully built in compliance with the highest international standard under the supervision of Class. “This is the first time in the modern shipbuilding history in Bangladesh that a local shipyard would make quadruplet delivery to its three distinguished buyers,” he added.

The EMSWAVE & EMSTIDE are 5200 DWT MPC ships certified as E3 ice-class vessels, meaning that it is designed and equipped to sustain in cryogenic weather condition. Around 3,500 tones of ice-class steel were fabricated by using 60 tones of welding electrodes to build the ships while 23 kilometers of marine cables and 24,000 liters of paints were used for their skin protection.

PV Rakkhi is the first and only pilot-cum service vessel which will be added to the fleet of Chittagong Port Authority from today. The vessel will not only carry pilots but it will be well equipped to provide emergency service to the incoming and outgoing vessels. PV Rakkhi is designed to carry 12 passengers and 10 crews with emergency equipment. The vessel has been modeled to operate round the year within the coastal and sea region of Bangladesh during monsoon rough sea condition (BF– 7) with minimum 3m swell height. Class approved by Germanischer Lloyd, the ship is made with highly strengthened steel to withstand heavy bumping with LCCs & VLCCs.

The ro-ro ferry to be delivered to the BIWTC has been named after the freedom fighter ‘Birsrestho Md. Ruhul Amin’. ‘Birsrestho Md. Ruhul Amin’ is the first Bangladesh-made ro-ro ferry that will be added to the fleet of BIWTC out of ten Danish and two Chinese made ro-ro ferries of BIWTC. The ferry approved by the Germanischer Lloyd is very advanced and sophisticated design. This local made ro-ro ferry will carry passengers and motor vehicles in the Chorjanajat-Mawa route that will help enhance the inland waterways communication system.

WMShL adding another milestone to the shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh

Chittagong, July 28, 2011: Western Marine Shipyard Ltd., one of the countries’s leading shipbuilding companies, is going to deliver four vessels to the German buyer Grona Shipping & Bangladesh Govt. tomorrow, and adding another milestone to the shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh. Western Marine Shipyard Chairman Mr. Saiful Islam announces this at a press conference held at a hotel Agrabad in the port city, Chittagong today (July 28, 2011).

Among the four vessels, Grona Shipping will receive two and another two will receive BIWTC and Chittagong Port Authority. The two vessels built for German shipping company are the third among six pairs of the well-known 5200 DWT Ice Class vessels EMSTIDE & EMSWAVE.

The other two vessels built for BIWTC and CPA will be operated by the Ministry of Shipping of Bangladesh Government. The one vessel is titled as ‘Bir Sreshtho Ruhul Amin’, the largest ever ro-ro ferry built for Bangladesh by a local shipbuilding company. It having the carrying capacity of 370 passengers with 27 trucks will ferry between Chorjanajat-Mawa and Madaripur route.

Another vessel is a pilot cum service vessel built for Chittagong Port Authority called “PV Rakkhi” that was designed to carry pilots and sailors from the shore to the outer anchorage.

Minister for Shipping Mr. Shajahan Khan MP is expected to attend the vessel delivery ceremony as the chief guest. The venue of the ceremony has been arranged in CPA Marine Workshop Ghat at Agrabad, Chittagong, at 10:30 am, boarding on BIWTC ro-ro ferry, “Bir Sreshtho Ruhul Amin”.

Speaking at the press conference, Managing Director of Western Marine Shipyard Mr. Sakhawat Hossain said the Germanischer Lloyd approved vessels have been successfully built in compliance with the highest international standard under the supervision of Class.

“This is the first time in the modern shipbuilding history in Bangladesh that a local shipyard would make quadruplet delivery to its three distinguished buyers. This event will bring another significant landmark for a Bangladeshi shipyard among the world’s shipbuilding countries. The EMSWAVE & EMSTIDE are 5200 DWT MPC ships certified as E3 ice-class vessels, meaning that it is designed and equipped to sustain in cryogenic weather condition. Around 3,500 tones of ice-class steel were fabricated by using 60 tones of welding electrodes to build the ships while 23 kilometers of marine cables and 24,000 liters of paints were used for their skin protection.

PV Rakkhi is the first and only pilot-cum service vessel which will be added to the fleet of Chittagong Port Authority from today. The vessel will not only carry pilots but it will be well equipped to provide emergency service to the incoming and outgoing vessels. PV Rakkhi is designed to carry 12 passengers and 10 crews with emergency equipment. The vessel has been modeled to operate round the year within the coastal and sea region of Bangladesh during monsoon rough sea condition (BF– 7) with minimum 3m swell height. Class approved by Germanischer Lloyd, the ship is made with highly strengthened steel to withstand heavy bumping with LCCs & VLCCs.

The ro-ro ferry to be delivered to the BIWTC has been named after the freedom fighter ‘Birsrestho Md. Ruhul Amin’. ‘Birsrestho Md. Ruhul Amin’ is the first Bangladesh-made ro-ro ferry that will be added to the fleet of BIWTC out of ten Danish and two Chinese made ro-ro ferries of BIWTC. The ferry approved by the Germanischer Lloyd is very advanced and sophisticated design. This local made ro-ro ferry will carry passengers and motor vehicles in the Chorjanajat-Mawa route that will help enhance the inland waterways communication system.

Managing Director of Grona Shipping, Mr. Ebbe Prins were present at the press conference.