Laugfs goes for deep sea fishing boats

by L. S. A. Wedaarachchi

The 2004 tsunami destroyed 80 per cent of the fishing boats numbering 84,000. One of the biggest challenges was to help those affected to resume their livelihood by providing them with fishing boats. Laugfs Holdings Ltd. came to their rescue by manufacturing fishing craft.

The boat manufacturing and engineering wing of Laugfs Holdings, Laugfs Engineering Ltd. has manufactured and supplied fibreglass fishing boats to fishermen through Banks and NGOs during the last 18 months.

According to the Chairman of Laugfs Holdings W. K. H. Wegapitiya, fibreglass fishing boats are being manufactured by their engineers and technicians under the supervision of foreign trained engineers at their workshop at Mabima.

"When the fishing vessels are manufactured the requirements of the fishermen have to be fulfilled. In that sense our fishing boats were recognised by fishermen as well as the authorities on quality, he said.

For the first time in Sri Lanka Laugfs Engineering Ltd. has successfully fabricated 200 M. T. Pressure vessels.

The next step of Laugfs Engineering is to manufacture multi-day deep sea fishing vessels suitable for gillnet longline and trawline fishing excursions in the coastal and deep sea. The order to make such vessels which are longer in size, was placed by the government. According to the GM of Laugfs Engineering Ltd. U. U. - Navaratna long liner fishing vessels are 65 foot long whereas fishing boats are only 35 foot.

Sri Lanka has unlimited fishery resources specially in its deep sea - which has not yet been exploited by fishermen.

The traditional methods used by our fishermen are comparatively primitive and they are harmful to the fishery resource. The Maldive Island also has long liner fishing craft - and fish canning is being done by them in the sea itself.

According to the GM of Laugfs Engineering, to commence the manufacturing of long liner vessels, the company needs suitable land with access to the sea, as the 65 foot vessels cannot be transported from their present worksite at Mabima.

The GM is confident of receiving a land from the government at Beruwela close to the fishery harbour. He said that the interest shown by Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunications and the MP of the area Rohita Abeygunawardana encouraged them to have their Rs. 150 million project in Beruwela.

Laugfs Holdings consists of fifteen highly diversified subsidiaries in the fields of Gas, petroleum, supermarkets, aqua systems, lubricants, property development and rubber and coir sectors.