Bangladesh will get more ship orders: minister
The international recognition that Bangladesh has earned so far through building high-quality ocean-going vessels will help bring in more global orders boosting export earnings, Commerce Minister GM Quader said yesterday.
“Time will come when we'll have huge global orders in the shipbuilding sector," he said.
"The government will provide support to capacity building in the sector,” Quader said at a function at Meghnaghat.
The minister said the country could earn $2 billion through ship exports in the next five years if the government provides policy support.
Ananda Shipyard and Slipways Ltd arranged the function to hand over Enzian, an ocean-going multipurpose vessel, to German company Komrowski Maritim GmbH.
German Ambassador Holger Michael, Ananda Shipyard Chairman Abdullahel Bari and Managing Director Afroza Bari also spoke.
Speaking as the chief guest, Quader said the country must increase export earnings for a stronger economy and shipbuilding will be a medium for that.
“This is a sector which is going to flourish…by building an ice-class ship and supplying it to a technologically advanced country like Germany, Bangladesh has proved that it can compete with any other shipbuilding nation,” he said.
The minister also emphasised maintenance of delivery schedule to earn buyers' satisfaction and avoid financial losses for any delay in delivery.
The government has taken the initiative to set up a special zone for further development of the shipbuilding industry, he said.
German Ambassador Holger Michael highly appreciated the standards and quality of Bangladeshi shipyards and the vessels built in the yards. “We're partners in technology and we're partners in development.”
“Germany is one of the trading countries where 40 percent trade is done by ship, which means Bangladesh is our very important partner,” he added.
“If we can maintain the quality and receive government support, the shipbuilding sector will make Bangladesh a rich nation,” Bari said.
Afroza Bari said Bangladesh could earn $10 billion in 10 years from the shipbuilding sector if the country can utilise the potential. “It will also generate employment opportunity for around 15 lakh people.”
She sought 15 percent cash incentive to enable the prospective sector to grow further.
Enzian, which means `loyal friend' in German language, is 110.9 metres long and 16.5 metres wide. The company has spent Tk 86 crore to build the Tk 100 crore ship with a capacity of 6,100 deadweight tonnage (DWT).
Bangladesh has been exporting ocean-going ships since 2008, and Ananda Shipyards was the first local company to export its first vessel to Europe, specifically to a Danish company.
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