Cey-Nor to build 55 ft. long liners at new boatyard

by Lalin Fernandopulle

The Cey-Nor Foundation under the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources plans to build 55 ft. long liner modern fishing craft at its new boatyard in Beruwela this year.

The boatyard will be built on one acre land presented to the Cey-Nor Foundation by the Fisheries Harbour Corporation.

Chairman, Cey-Nor Foundation, Diyanath Jayasinghe said the Foundation decided to set up a boatyard in Beruwela since the yard in Mattakkuliya cannot be expanded due to the landlocked set up.

The boatyard will provide employment to a large number of people in the area with a wide scope for skilled workers. Employees will be provided training on efficiency enhancing methods and skills development that would help fishermen to increase their daily earnings and boost exports to Europe and Japan, he said.

Sri Lanka is the third largest tuna exporter to Japan.

One of the objectives of President Mahinda Rajapaksa under the Mahinda Chintana 10-year development plan is to construct 500 multi-day fishing vessels and 50 trawlers during the first five years.

Jayasinghe said that 80 percent of the Sashini fuel efficient fibre glass multi-day fishing craft is complete and the first prototype will be launched by the end of June.

The new fishing vessel is twice as much faster than the traditional fishing boats which have a speed of six knots per hour. The vessels will reduce the post harvest loss to a great extent and increase the earnings of fishermen who lose due to spoilage.

The present post harvest loss in using traditional fishing vessels is around 40 percent. The Cey-Nor Foundation is confident that the percentage of waste would not exceed 5 percent.

The fuel consumption of the vessel is significantly low because of the wind and fuel combination which would help minimise environmental pollution and create an eco-friendly fishing culture, he said.

The Foundation plans to introduce a fuel efficient beach craft for average fishermen who constitute a fairly big number in the country. The Belgian Government is optimistic and supportive of the idea and plans to implement the project early next year through BAFF, an institute helping development activities.

The joint venture project to build a boatyard in Bangladesh for multi-day fishing craft will commence by the end of this year, Jayasinghe said.

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