Western Marine built ship MV Isla Bartolomé inaugurated by the Ecuadorian President

The latest export of Western Marine Shipyard to Ecuador-MV Isla Bartolomé was inaugurated by the President Rafael Correa recently. The ship earlier called MV Stella Atlantic was renamed MV Isla Bartolomé in memory of the British naval officer & naturalist Lieutenant Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan.

She will transport cargo from Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. The President was happy to receive the ship from Bangladesh saying “it will serve thousands of merchants in the islands and of course to all its inhabitants”. He has also praised on high quality of the Bangladeshi made ship mentioning it will play a vital role in their economy.

The ship will be operated by Transnave, an Ecuador based state shipping company in South America. A commission from Ecuador having Captain Alejandro Villacis Aguilar-Director of Ecuadorian Navy Company and Mr. Luis Mera Brito-Managing Director of Transnave travelled to Bangladesh in June 2015 to procure the ship, which arrived in Ecuador on August 30, 2015.

It is a great achievement for the shipbuilding industry of Bangladesh as this export deal with Ecuador has been remarked as the very first trade between the two countries. Through this deal Bangladesh has been introduced to Ecuador & many South American nations for the first time which will further enhance our bilateral trade with S. America.

Isla Bartolomé is a 3,831 capacity Multipurpose Tweendecker Ship equipped with 120 tons heavy lifting cranes. The 88.6 meter ship was constructed by the leading shipyard of Bangladesh Western Marine Shipyard Limited under the German class DNV-GL.

8,000 DWT MINI BULK CARRIER

MINI BULK CARRIER VESSEL

Customer:
JSW Jaigarh Port Ltd, India

Units: 06 (Six)

Facts:

• Length OA: 122.25 m Length BP: 117.10 m Breadth MLD: 20.00 m Depth MLD: 07.20m
• Deadweight: 8,000 DWT
• Gross Tonnage: 6000 T
• Trial speed (loaded): 10 knots
• Fuel consumption: approx.196 gm/kwhr
• Engine Power:1330 kW @ 900 RPM, Yanmar, Japan
• Class: Indian Register of Shipping (IRS)
• Registration/Flag: India
• Route: Sea Going

Western Marine Exports Aluminum Ship to Tanzania

Western Marine Shipyard has shipped a newly constructed aluminum body catamaran type passenger ship for Tanzania on the 2nd of November 2014. The ship named “MV Dar Es Salaam” was boarded on another heavy carrier mother vessel at Chittagong port for transporting it to Tanzania.

The ship has a capacity of carrying 300 passengers. It will be used by Tanzania Ministry of Transportation to carry passengers through the inland waterways. Western Marine received the work order for this new building project through a Danish company JGH Marine.

The ship is 38m long & it will be able to travel at a speed of 20knots. Catamaran ships are very safe for voyages & even more stable than other type of ships as they are specially designed with twin hull.

The shipyard management hopes that Africa is big market for Bangladeshi shipbuilders and there are lots of opportunities in Africa which are yet to be explored. Western Marine is also building one Offshore Patrol Vessel for Kenya which they expect to deliver 2016.

Western Marine Shipyard makes debut in the stock market

Western Marine Shipyard Limited has made its debut trading by floating 41.28% of its total shares in the stock market of Bangladesh on the 2nd of November 2014 through an Listing Agreement Signing with the Dhaka Stock Exchange. The opening price of trading per share was at Tk. 35. The same day Western Marine Shipyard was the most traded stock in the market with shares worth `Tk 885.33 million and was also the day’s highest gainer, posting a rise of 79.14% in DSE & 78% in CSE.

Western Marine lays keel for another container vessel “MV Siara Ereshva” for use of Pangaon ICT

Western Marine has inaugurated the construction work of another 176 TEUs container vessel through a keel laying ceremony on the 24th of August, 2014 in the shipyard premises located in Patiya. The container ship will be owned & operated by M R Global Limited & she will be built under French class Bureau Veritas (BV). The Chairman of M R Global Ltd Mr. Salim Chowdhury who is also known to be the Chairman of BPL T-20 Championship Cricket team Dhaka Gladiators & the Managing Director of the same company Mr. Shihab Chowdhury were present in the ceremony. Amongst others the EVP & Chief Manager of Trust Bank Limited Mr. Hossain Shah Ali were also present as Trust Bank is the financing bank to M R Global Limited for this project.

The ship will be able to carry 176 TEUs of containers from Chittagong Port to the newly developed Pangaon Inland Container Terminal (PICT) in Narayanganj. This way inbound container will be transported to Dhaka by inland river route which shall reduce our traffic density in highways.

Mr. Salim Chowdhury has praised on Western Marine’s quality shipbuilding and has mentioned that undoubtedly the shipyard will build the best vessel for him. He has also mentioned the vessel MV SIARA ERESHVA will ply in the water very soon marking its contribution in the national economy of Bangladesh.

Shipyard MD Sakhawat Hossain said Western Marine has exported eight (8) container ships (multi-purpose) in the recent past years which are plying in the European water today. This has proven the quality of shipbuilding in Bangladesh; as such Bangladeshi ship-owners should feel encouraged to purchase ships from local industry rather importing them. He said more that “we have signed contract for a total number of seven similar ships & expecting to sign contract for more five ships as in the pipeline.

Chairman Saiful Islam said Western Marine is already building five more similar container ships which shall serve the PICT. After the Global Financial Crisis & National Political Crisis the market is emerging once again & these new building projects will add great value to our economy.

The ships will make a major contribution in our economy for port service enhancement & at the same time she will play a major role in reduction of traffic density in highways by transporting the mass imported goods by river. This way for the first time container ships will ply in our inland channels, which has never been experienced before.

Western Marine Shipyard Lays Keel of one Offshore Patrol Vessel

Western Marine Shipyard went into contract with JGH Marine A/S, Denmark to build & deliver one Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) to the Kenyan Ministry of Fisheries, Livestock & Agriculture. This project shall remark one of the greatest achievements of the entire shipbuilding industry of Bangladesh.
The Minister of Shipping Mr. Shajahan Khan has been the Chief Guest in the occasion. Apart from that local MP of Patiya, Chittagong Mr. Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury, Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh H.E. Ms. Hanne Fugl Eskjær & High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Kenya Mr. Wahidur Rahman were there as Special Guests. The Danish Prinicipal Mr. Niels Holstein & a five member delegation from the Kenyan Ministry headed by their Director Mr. Patrick Osare also participated in the event.

JGH Marine a Danish based business partner of Western Marine having its regional office in Nairobi, Kenya will work jointly with the shipyard in completing this project. The design of the OPV is from design house- Icarus in South Africa, who specializes on design of OPVs. The ship will have an overall length of 54.70m & she will be able to sail at a maximum speed of 35 knots with 35 crews in the Indian Ocean of East Africa to ensure the safety of Kenyan flagged Fishing Vessels operating in that region. The OPV will be equipped with fully automatic centrally controlled & electromagnetically compatible equipment. She will have a helipad to facilitate the landing a takeoff of 5 tones helicopter. It is a pride for Bangladeshi shipbuilding industry to be able to undertake such hi-tech project work. Export of this high end product will give a new dimension to the export sector of the country.
The shipping minister has mentioned that it is a pride for the nation that Bangladesh will be exporting hi-tech ships which is a great achievement for the entire shipbuilding industry of the country. The minister has also thanked the guests from Kenya & Denmark for enhancing bilateral trade with Bangladesh. The Danish Ambassador praised Western Marine for building the OPV through Danish partnership & technical Assistance of JGH Marine A/S, Denmark. The Bangladesh High Commissioner to Kenya has applauded Western Marine shipyard for taking this industry to such a greater height.
The chairman of the Shipyard Saiful Islam has mentioned that in the long run they shall be able to contribute in the national economy by building more sophisticated ships for export.
The shipyard MD Sakhawat Hossain stated that Western Marine has stepped building of hi-tech 3rd generation vessels for the international market.

Western Marine Inks a New Deal with Chittagong Port for building a Harbor Tugboat

Chittagong, 13 July 2014: Western Marine Shipyard Ltd has signed a contract with Chittagong Port Authority yesterday for newbuilding of a 25 Ton BP Tugboat.

The port Chairman Rear Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed and Managing Director of the shipyard Mr. Sakhawat Hossain signed the contract on behalf of their respective organizations. Other high officials of CPA and Western Marine were present during the contact singing in the Board Room of Chittagong Port.

The contract price of this project is BDT 16.45 core. This new tugboat will be having an pulling capacity of 25 ton BP. The shipyard won this contract by participating in an international tender as the lowest bidder. Tugboats are used to guide merchant ships from the outer to the port & also assist the ships in harboring. The 25 Ton BP tugboat will operate for Pangaon Inland Container terminal in Dhaka, the development of which has been financed by Chittagong Port Authority. Western Marine has built ships of various types for Chittagong port in the past including one tugboat which is expected to be delivered by this month & she is also known to be the highest capacity tug in the country having 60 Ton BP. All these vessels are serving well till today. Such ships used to be imported earlier but Western Marine’s expertise & proficiency in building quality vessels has enhanced them in achieving this order. Western Marine has even secured export orders for more offshore vessels, which are also in progress.

The Chairman of Western Marine, Mr. Saiful Islam said that it is our pride that we are contributing in capacity build up of our ports by building ships for their use. He said that our ports are our major sources driving the nation forward & their enhancement shall advance us further.

The shipyard MD Mr. Hossain applauded saying that CPA is the greatest business associate of Western Marine as the yard has built ships for them in the past & signing this contract has made the tie even stronger.

Port Chairman Rear Admiral Nizamuddin said these ships are our national assets. Their quality & proper maintenance in the long run will enhance port capacity in the future.

Western Marine goes for IPO

05 June 2014: This Tuesday, 4 June 2014 the securities regulator approved the IPO (initial public offering) proposal of the Western Marine Shipyard Limited (WMShL) to raise a fund worth Tk 1,575 million from public.

The approval came at a commission meeting, chaired by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Chairman Professor Khairul Hossain, held at the BSEC office.

As per the regulatory approval, the shipyard will float 45 million ordinary shares at an offer price of Tk35, including a premium of Tk25.

The company will use the IPO fund to re-pay the bank loan, infrastructure development and expenses of IPO proceedings.

The company’s earnings per share (EPS) and net asset value (NAV) per share were Tk 3.87 (weighted average) and Tk 40.27 in accordance with the financial statement for the year ended on June 30, 2013.

Prime Finance Capital Management Ltd, ICB Capital Management Ltd, and EC Securities Ltd are acting as issue managers of the Western Marine Shipyard’s IPO.

Western Fishers Shipyard has delivers another fishing vessel to her owner

05 May 2014: FV Alliance -1, a 41 m meter Deep Sea Mid Water Fishing Vessel built by Western Fishers Shipyard in Chittagong has been delivered to her owner. Western Fishers Shipyard is a joint venture concern of Western Marine Shipyard Ltd & Fishers Shipyard Ltd. Western Fishers Shipyard is building a series of nine fishing vessels for local owners, and FV Alliance-1 is the first from this series to be delivered. The ship delivered is of international standard & the operator will get after sale service from the shipyard, but  earlier this was not possible when similar ships were imported from other countries.

Western Fishers has received orders of building 13 fishing vessels so far.  Earlier the shipyard delivered three 42m fishing vessels to Agro Food Ltd. Through successful handing over of FV Alliance-1, Western Fishers has completed the construction of their fourth fishing trawler. The shipyard expects to deliver more eight vessels by June 2014.

Unlike other imported fishing trawlers in Bangladesh theses ships are custom made to operate in the Bangladeshi fishing zone considering all the possible challenges for fishing in this sea. These trawlers are equipped with advanced machinery which makes the vessel fit for fishing in the Bay of Bengal even in monsoon period. Each vessel will be able to carry & store 250 to 300 tons of fish having hi-tech European refrigeration system from Bock & Bitzer, Germany including processing deck, slurry ice machine, chill water maker, blast freezer and store freezer will be able to maintain the required core temperature ensuring best quality of the fish. The hydraulic equipment & fishing gears used in these ships comes from Scan Machinery, Denmark, the main-engine & gen-set are from Caterpillar USA & the propulsion unit has been brought from UK.

The owner of the fishing vessel is very happy with the quality of the ship. They said it is better to build the ship from local shipyard rather importing the ship from other countries as Bangladeshi yards are building international ships. The owner can also supervise & monitor the quality of the ship while it is under construction. Further they can avail after sale service from the shipyard after the ship has been delivered

Therefore it is expected that such purpose built fishing vessels in Bangladesh will be able to contribute more in the national economy through export of better quality sea food. Western Fishers also expects build fishing vessels for export market as they are already in talks with some European owner.