The Chairman – Mr. Hideaki Tanaka – and officials of the Colombo Dockyard PLC called on Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees today (25th October) and thanked him for his unequivocal support during the last 2 years ensuring the Dockyard to fabricate two ships despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the period Colombo Dockyard PLC has fabricated two ships namely “Alka” and “Shan Al Arak” both of which are due to be handed over to the Iraqi government on the 4th November earning US $ 35 million. Another high-tech ship valued at US $ 45 million is currently being built for the Orange Marine Company in France and once completed it will be the second largest ship to be built at the Colombo dockyard.
The Prime Minister was invited by the Colombo Dockyard to join the handing over of a group of six eco-friendly ships that are currently being built at the Colombo Dockyard on behalf of the Government of Norway.
The Colombo Dockyard is expected to generate US $ 100 million by 2021 and US $ 120 million by 2022. Mr. D V Abeysinghe- CEO of the Colombo Dockyard stated that a regional ship repair branch will be opened in Trincomalee on 2nd November 2021 and further extended to the Hambantota
Port in the future. The prime minister took note that both regional branches are expected to create substantial employment opportunities.
The Colombo Dockyard presented a souvenir to the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister also presented a memento to the Chairman of the Colombo Dockyard. Mr. Chaminda Kularatne- Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. K. B. P. Fernando- Chief Operating Officer of Colombo Dockyard, Mr. S.G. Senadeera- General Manager (Ship Repair Production) and Mr. Supun Pathirage- Environmental Engineer at Colombo Dockyard were also present.
