Khulna-based Prime Shipping Lines, an associate of Sundarban Navigation Company, has entered the local ship-building market with completing con-struction of a coastal ship to be used for carrying goods in coastal areas of the country.

Sundarban-4, the 1500-tonne vessel, was floated on June 26 at a function in Barisal.

Shawkat Hossain Hiron, Barisal City Corporation (BCC) mayor, said at the function that the government has attached top priority'to shipbuilding sector considering its enormous potential.

The government believes in the public-private synchronisation to expand the industrial sector by upgrading infrastructure facilities, said the BCC mayor.

Saidur Rahman, managing director of the company, said they can build ships with capacity of 500 tonnes to 2,500 tonnes in their shipyard situated in Beltala area of the city on the west bank of Kirtonkhola river.

Recently another local company Crescent Navigation also started con-

structing this type of vessels and more companies are coming forward, with low-cost labour, infrastructural facilities and local technology helping flourish the sector.

Golam Mawla, owner of Crescent Navigation, said Barisal region has a very old tradition in shipbuilding from ancient period.

Most of the large double- and tripledecker luxury passenger carrying water vessels now plying on major river routes of the country were built here by maintaining international standards,” Mawla said.

Md Ebaydul Haque Chand, director of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said Barisal has a competitive edge over its rivals because of its cheap and naturally expert workforce.

He called for all-out support by making new policies and bringing changes to the existing laws to accelerate development of the sector.

The emerging shipbuilding industry is important not only for earning revenue but also for technology transfer, he added.

All it requires are modem technology and skilled manpower to meet the

increasing demand for water transport vessels, Chand said.

“We have skilled and hard working people. We are hopeful that we will be able to achieve excellence in building larger ships in the coming days," said Manzurul Alam Ferdous, owner of Kirtonkhola Navigation Company.

Cost competitiveness, technical know-how, skilled manpower and excellent communication skills of Bangladeshi shipbuilders helped in getting orders, industry stakeholders said.

Industry people said Bangladesh is enjoying the benefit of skilled workforce in building ships as some workers, who have work experience in different foreign countries, have come back home and joined the local industry.

Meanwhile, Export Promotion Bureau has recommended giving priority to the shipbuilding industry in the upcoming three-year import policy.

It also suggested bringing down bank interest rate to eight percent and simplifing the import procedures of raw materials for the shipbuilding industry, said Sheikh Abdur Rahim, president of Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.