A new drydock will be set up for building modern ocean-going vessels on an area of 17 acres of land of the Chittagong Drydock Limited (CDL) at Patenga in the port city for building modern ocean going vessels. The process for appointment of a consultant has started as per a decision of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Shipping Ministry (PSCSM), considering huge potentiality of exporting ocean going vessels to the world market, CDL officials said here today.
They said facilities for building ocean going vessels up to 10,000 tonne weight were now available at the CDL yard. The CDL authorities want to expand and modernize these facilities and they have already submitted a proposal to the concerned ministry in this connection.
Engineer Enamul Baki, Managing Director of CDL, told BSS that the standing committee at a recent meeting recommended for establishing another drydock for building ocean going vessels for exports.
The CDL officials said a plan for setting up the second drydock for building new vessels and renovating the old ones was taken after the War of Liberation.
The ECNEC during the Bangabandhu's government approved the project on February 20, 1975 in this regard. But, they regretted, the project was shelved through a planning commission meeting held in November, 1979.
The officials said many local and foreign companies have already communicated with the CDL and the shipping ministry showing their keen interest in investing Taka 150 to 200 crore to set up a ship yard on that land under a joint venture.
The standing committee at a joint meeting with the shipping ministry recently recommended that the ministry would expand the CDL through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) rules and it would build new ships for export after carrying out the BMRE very soon.
The meeting held late last month urged the concerned ministry to take steps on emergency basis for setting up another shipyard on the CDL land for building and renovating modern vessels.
Earlier, a three-member parliamentary sub-committee submitted a report to the standing committee in January this year recommending to build another drydock at the CDL area as the demand for ocean going vessels increased in the world market.
The officials said possibility of exporting modern vessels by Bangladesh got up as many vessel exporting countries in Asia including China, Vietnam, India, Korea and Singapore stopped receiving orders to build new vessels till 2014.
Engineer Baki said the establishment of new drydock and BMRE is under active consideration of the government.
They said facilities for building ocean going vessels up to 10,000 tonne weight were now available at the CDL yard. The CDL authorities want to expand and modernize these facilities and they have already submitted a proposal to the concerned ministry in this connection.
Engineer Enamul Baki, Managing Director of CDL, told BSS that the standing committee at a recent meeting recommended for establishing another drydock for building ocean going vessels for exports.
The CDL officials said a plan for setting up the second drydock for building new vessels and renovating the old ones was taken after the War of Liberation.
The ECNEC during the Bangabandhu's government approved the project on February 20, 1975 in this regard. But, they regretted, the project was shelved through a planning commission meeting held in November, 1979.
The officials said many local and foreign companies have already communicated with the CDL and the shipping ministry showing their keen interest in investing Taka 150 to 200 crore to set up a ship yard on that land under a joint venture.
The standing committee at a joint meeting with the shipping ministry recently recommended that the ministry would expand the CDL through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) rules and it would build new ships for export after carrying out the BMRE very soon.
The meeting held late last month urged the concerned ministry to take steps on emergency basis for setting up another shipyard on the CDL land for building and renovating modern vessels.
Earlier, a three-member parliamentary sub-committee submitted a report to the standing committee in January this year recommending to build another drydock at the CDL area as the demand for ocean going vessels increased in the world market.
The officials said possibility of exporting modern vessels by Bangladesh got up as many vessel exporting countries in Asia including China, Vietnam, India, Korea and Singapore stopped receiving orders to build new vessels till 2014.
Engineer Baki said the establishment of new drydock and BMRE is under active consideration of the government.