Khulna Shipyard regains lost pride, becomes profitable building brand-new ships

KhulnaShipyard regained its lost glory as the potential venture turned into a successful profitable business concern through building brand-new ships of international standards besides repairing old ones.
Located on the bank of the River Rupsa, the shipyard was established way back in 1957 with the assistance of a German firm, Stulcken Sohn.
Two German and British companies had jointly run the shipbuilding yard till 1965.
After the independence, it was handed over to the state-run Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC) in 1972. But the shipyard started incurring loss after 1980.
Under the circumstances, the then government had decided to give it over to the private sector to boost production and business. Considering the economic prospect, later on, Bangladesh Navy was given the responsibility of running the promising venture on October 3, 1999. Shortly after the makeover under a bailout plan, the shipyard started making a turnaround into a profitable enterprise.
According to sources in the Khulna Shipyard Limited (KSY) company, some 650 ships have been constructed and renovated while 1,800 repaired at the yard in last 47 years.
"The shipbuilding industrial unit is capable of building and repairing 2000-ton-capacity ships, but it cannot be done because of inadequate depth of Rupsa Channel (3.4-meter draft). Moreover, big ships cannot ply under the low-height Rupsa Bridge," one of the sources told UNB.
The KSY is now able to build modern patrol craft (warship), inland and coastal workboat, harbor/coastal and sea-bound tug, barge, ferry, landing craft, crane barge, hydrographic survey vessel, buoy-handling vessel, search and rescue boat, cargo vessel, tankers and other varieties of ship.
It has also the capacity for repairing war and commercial ships and providing technical assistance.
Also skilled in general engineering sector, KSY is now constructing electrical tower, trailer, iron tank, oil and water tanks, wagon and machinery used in jute and sugar mills. Besides, it built the newly innovated globe digester for paper mill.
As Bangladesh set foot on the international export market in a latest development in the highly prospective sector, the KSY management said they are now planning to build and repair big ships.
KSY Managing Director Commodore S Imran explained the expansion and upgrading plans while talking to UNB district correspondent Deedarul Alam.
"New ships are built worldwide every 30 years, and now is the time to do. To avail this opportunity, steps have been taken to set up a forward base of the shipyard in Joymonir Khol area, downstream of Mongla," said an optimistic Imran.
Upon completion of the base, the parts of ships would be fitted there, no matter how big these ships are in size, he added.
Bangladesh Navy, Coastguard, BDR, BIWTA, BIWTC, Roads and Highways Dept, PDB, WDB, BADC, sugar mills, Mongla and Chittagong Port Authorities, Khulna and Dhaka city corporations, Bangladesh Railway, different autonomous organizations and private ship owners are now the main customers of the KSY.
Officials concerned claimed that the shipyard could have made more profit if it got works of the country's all government organisations and industrial units, thus saving waste of money.