Colombo Dockyard builds its biggest vessel

MV Corals, the largest vessel to be built by the Colombo Dockyard PLC (CDPLC) was presented to Union Territories of Lakshadweep Administration of the Government of India on Wednesday.

This is to date the biggest vessel to be built in Sri Lanka with a LOA of 99.00 metres and a beam of 17.00 metres. The contract value of the vessel was US$ 29,260,000.

The owner was represented by IPS Director (Ports, Shipping and Aviation) and Managing Director of Lakshadweep Development Corporation, Rajiv Ranjan Singh.

Marine Superintendent, Lakshadweep Development Corporation, Naveen Kurian, Colombo Dockyard Managing Director and CEO Ranil Wijegunawardena, Chairman Dr. Toru Takehara, Director Y. Kijima, management staff, Director General of Merchant Shipping, Ajith Seneviratne, D.V.D. Prasad Rao of the Indian Register of Shipping, Ajith Wijesinghe representing Lloyds Register of Shipping, Kartik Pande and Dr. M. Sivaguru representing the Indian High Commission (IHC) were also present.

When this vessel goes into operation, it will ease congestion and provide uninterrupted service for passengers and freight from Cochin to Lakshadweep islands, a journey which generally takes around 20 hours.

The length of the vessel is 99.00 metres, breadth mld 17.00 metres, depth 9.20 metres, design graft 4.20 metres.

Passengers: First class - 10, second class - 40, bunk class - 350, crew - 69.

Speed - 15 knots, fuel oil - 400 tonnes, fresh water - 350 tonnes. Dry cargo - 225 tonnes. Endurance - 10 days at 15 knots. Main engines - two, each engine developing 1920 kW. Propulsion - two controllable pitch propellers. Classification - Lloyds Register and Indian Register.

The MV Coral's identical sister ship, MV Lagoons is under construction and will be delivered in December. The vessel is designed by renowned ship design company, Global Maritime Brevik AS of Norway (formerly known as GL Noble Denton - Brevik Engineering) and the detailed design engineering is by Neilsoft Ltd of India.

This cooperation enabled the convergence of specialists to achieve the best design solutions and Colombo Dockyard performed the arduous task of product realisation.

The fact that the Indian Government placed its confidence in Colombo Dockyard to build these passenger vessels immediately after delivery of the two, 250-passenger cum 100-ton cargo vessels (MV Arabian Sea and MV Lakshadweep Sea), is a clear testimony of the maturity and the status that Colombo Dockyard has achieved in the field of shipbuilding in the region. It will further strengthen the long and cordial relationship, the two countries have enjoyed over the past years, a company spokesman said.

Apart from passenger shipbuilding, the Colombo Dockyard specialises in the construction of offshore support vessels such as anchor handling tug supply vessels, multipurpose platform supply vessels, platform - ROV support vessels, crew boats for companies providing offshore oil field services, in the oil and gas exploration and production domain.

"For the past five years we have generated over US$ 392 million in shipbuilding activities alone, contracting 16 vessels for international clientele," the spokesman said.

"With our technical expertise in the construction of steel and aluminium hull vessels, complimented by a skilled, knowledgeable engineers and technicians (more than 3,000 Sri Lankans work at the shipyard) we offer Japanese quality products and services, at competitive prices," he said.

"We customise vessels to client's needs and making continuous improvement to the design and performance characteristics, adding value at each and every stage of construction," the spokesman said.