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| Sunday, 8 January 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Selling Sri
Lanka to Vikings
by Lionel Yodhasinghe
In the 8th century, the Vikings who hailed from Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark made boats out of timber and set sail conquering the high seas to reach better prospects in the West and in the East. After 13 centuries, a Sri Lankan marine Engineer Neil Fernando has been successful in using new technology to produce modern fibre-glass boats for the use of the people of those countries of the Vikings. Today Neil Marine is a popular brand in Scandinavian countries including Holland, Norway and Sweden. They are equally popular and largely used in the United Kingdom, the Maldives, the Seychelles, India, Somalia, Gambia, Mauritius, Dubai and in Djibouti. Its success has won a name for Sri Lanka while earning foreign exchange to the country. Our effort is to tap the export market for this kind of products where the ordinary entrepreneurs fear to tread. Sri Lanka should find and promote such exports which have a big demand and higher income, Neil Marine Director Ruwan Munasinghe told the Sunday Observer.
Neil Marine has been supplying fishing boats to the local market for a long time and the company had to increase the production capacity as the demand for fishing boats has gone up after the tsunami devastation. The tsunami could have been a good turning point to educate fishermen in new methods, and providing them with the modern day boats and equipment such as longline fishing boats and nets. However, nothing happened due to the lack of a proper management agenda in the field, he said. Many fishermen cannot afford to buy a boat and it is necessary to assist local fishermen to form small groups similar to those of the Samurdhi Movement which would enable them to contribute towards purchasing a fishing boat and claim ownership of the industry. This would be more profitable and productive than doing it individually, he said. Such projects would turn traditional fishing into commercial fishing, thereby alleviating the abject poverty of the fishing community, he said. He also said that though Sri Lanka has immense aquatic resources, due to the lack of proper management of the sector, we have been losing the resource heavily. He insisted the use of a longline fishing system rather than other methods, as the entire catch under the longline system could be preserved for the export market. We have a big demand from countries like Japan for such fish, as they could be preserved for a long time. It fetches a higher price as well. This of course would not kill fish randomly nor damage the catch as in the traditional systems. A large shoal of fish could be saved as a result. Managing the industry in this manner would stand in good stead, he said. Director Kapila Sumanapala said the company has manufactured over 25,000 boats so far and many of them for the export market. The demand for boats for domestic use was increased after the tsunami. A lot of NGOs who wanted to support the fishing community had placed orders with them and the company still manufactures over 100 boats a month, to meet orders under two projects by Emirates and Kuwait. These projects would help the tsunami affected fishermen in Hambantota and Kalutara. Presently, the company manufactures these modern boats with technical collaboration with Marmouth Marine Service and Freeward Marine of United Kingdom, Viksund Asia of Norway, Menken Maritime of Holland and Al Mazrooei Craft of United Arab Emirates. It has also obtained the classification approval of the Det Norske Veritas, and Lloyd's register of Shipping Det Norske Veritas. The boats are fitted with modern Japanese, American, Taiwan and Korean navigation and other equipment. Executive Director, Manilal De Mel said that among the company products are fibreglass boats ranging from six metre boats up to 25 metre ones in length, consisting of long line and gill netting multi day fishing boats, passenger ferry boats, luxury motor and sailing yachts, patrol and surveillance craft and fast pleasure crafts and a range of totally enclosed lifeboats. Many of these varieties are meant for the export market. He also said that Sri Lanka has vast potential for using the sea for passenger and cargo transport. A sea journey from Negombo to Colombo takes only half an hour, while it takes one and a half hours by land. Nobody has thought of these projects which would be low cost transport methods. A sea transport service at least between Negombo and Galle via Colombo would relieve the heavy traffic, especially during peak hours. It could be used as a pleasure travel service to help boom tourism in the coastal belt. These are the type of business areas on which the private sector would thrive. If any company or the government is ready to go in for such ventures, Neil Marine is competent in manufacturing the necessary boats and ferries suiting to our requirements, he said. Director Rohan Boteju said, the company has three boat-building yards, one in Negombo, and another two in Beruwala and Chilaw. The company during its 38 year stint has specialised in fabrication of stainless steel and aluminium marine fittings and hardware, and in boat-building with special skills in fibreglass lamination, carpentry, metal works and finishing. The workshop includes a production plant consisting of a humidity controlled air-conditioned Lloyds register approved moulding shop, metal work plant, carpentry and joinery shops and assemble and finishing sections. They design boats in liaison with the naval architect in the UK and Holland so as to cater to the European markets. Recognising the achievements in the field, Neil Marine has won several performing awards since its inception. Among them are a certificate of merit for creditable export performance in 1977, 1981 and in 1990, Export Award-Medium category Gold by National Exporters Association in 1992, Entrepreneur of the year first place Western Province Industrial medium category organised by the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Sri Lanka 1994, Export awards medium export category organised by the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lankan Silver medal in 1996, Bronze medal in 1997 and Gold Medal in 1998. |
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