Six Bangladesh made ferries will be handed over to Mozambique government Thursday next.
This is the second time Ananda Shipyard and Slipways Limited, the local manufacturer, goes to export vessels to a foreign buyer. Ananda sold its first ship Stella Maris to a Danish buyer early this year.
At a press conference in Dhaka yesterday, the announcement of the export to Mozambique was made.
The local company has been awarded orders for building about 34 ships worth $316 million from Denmark, Germany and Mozambique.
Ananda has already received about $38.54 million from its buyers in advance.
“It's a result of our 25-year endeavour. I believe Bangladesh will soon put its name on the global map as a shipbuilding country,” Dr Abdullahel Bari, chairman of Ananda Shipyard, told reporters at the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium.
Shipping Adviser MA Matin is expected to remain present at the ferry handover ceremony, due at the shipyard at MeghnaGhat.
Industry insiders said Bangladesh, known for its ship breaking, is fast becoming a builder of small vessels, as traditional ship building nations are now reluctant to build smaller ones having the capacity of less than 15,000 dead weight tones (DWT).
Japan, China, South Korea and Vietnam, known for building ocean-going ships, are now focusing more on building large ships with the capacity of over 20,000 DWT.
Cost competitiveness, technical know-how, skilled manpower and above all excellent communication skills of Bangladeshi ship builders helped the country to get orders, according to industry people.
They said Bangladesh enjoys the benefit of skilled workforce in building ships as some workers, who have working experience in different foreign countries, already came back to their own country and joined the local industry.
"It's a big achievement. Our main goal now is to maintain quality and ensure timely delivery," the Ananda Shipyard chief told The Daily Star yesterday.
About 300 small and large shipyards are now in operation in Bangladesh, which employed about 1 lakh people.