Colombo Dockyard Flags Off The Second Passenger Vessel Built For The Government Of India

Oct. 28, 2010 - PRLog -- Colombo Dockyard PLC flagged off the second 250 Passenger cum 100 Ton Cargo Vessel built for the Administration of Union Territories of Lakshadweep, India on the 28th October 2010. This vessel named Lakshadweep Sea will join her sister vessel, Arabian Sea which
was delivered in January 2010 and will operate en-route from the Main Land (Cochin, India) to UTL Islands, as well as in the inter island routes.
Designed and built using the latest developments in technology, makes these vessels highly suitable for operation in the toughest weather conditions that may be encountered on the way. Together these two vessels will provide unprecedented relief to thousands of commuters.
The flagging off of the Passenger Vessel Lakshadweep Sea was ceremonially done by the Chief Guest for this historic event Hon. Jitendra Kumar Dadoo, the Administrator of the Union Territories of Lakshadweep, India. The flagging ceremony was attended by a distinguished gathering, amongst them the High commissioner of India in Sri Lanka HE. Ashok K Kantha, Shri T. Hari, GM LDCL,    Mr. Mangala Yapa, MD/CEO & Mr. Akihiko Nakauchi, Chairman Colombo Dockyard PLC. The ceremony was witnessed by the proud and dedicated project team headed by Mr. Shantha Ratnayake – Special Projects Manager and the project team who engaged tirelessly in delivering the vessel on schedule.

This being second passenger vessel of this class to be built by Colombo Dockyard, the outfitting of her machinery and equipment was carried out in an expeditious manner due to the positive effects of the learning curve experience.
However, this being a passenger vessel, the construction process had to adhere to stringent quality control and safety procedures in order to ensure the vessel’s appropriateness in material and machinery. There were consultants/ surveyors from the Shipping Corporation of India, Directorate of Shipping of India, Merchant Maritime Department visiting and continuously monitoring the progress and carried out numerous inspections according to their set safety procedures. Colombo Dockyard being an ISO 9001:2008 certified company, with its own superior quality control and quality assurance procedures in place, had no issues in satisfying these stringent quality examinations.  

The significance of this project is that, this is the first time in the history of local shipbuilding industry that a Sri Lankan organization was awarded the construction of two large Passenger Vessels for the Government of India.  We are indeed proud of the absolute confidence placed on Colombo Dockyard by the Government of India, counting on our over three decades of experience and proven competencies in awarding this prestigious contract.  
The Vessel design and her machineries…
The design of the Vessel was developed by a world renowned ship design firm, Larsen & Toubro Limited, e Engineering Solutions – Marine & Ship which is a Strategic Business Unit of Larsen & Toubro Limited of India fully customized to meet the exact requirements of the Owner and the Vessel was built and classed by Lloyds Register of Shipping and Indian Register of Shipping and statutory rules applicable for a vessel of this type.

The Vessel is powered by two Japanese made YANMAR 6 EY26 Main Engines each developing a propulsive power of 1950 kW, driving two Japanese made KAMOME CPR 65 AVCN Controllable Pitch Propellers. This combination provides a high level of maneuverability, optimum efficiency and cost effective operation for the Vessel, which will enable the owners to save thousands of dollars on fuel and maintenance cost.
The accommodation spaces in this Vessel consists of private space, office space, sanitary space, catering space and other spaces. The Passengers will have different categories of accommodation. There will be 2 VIP, 10 first class, 40 second class and 200 normal class passenger transportation facilities. All these passenger compartments are fully air conditioned using an air conditioning system consisting of central air handling unit and refrigerating plant, designed on the basis of environment friendly refrigerant chilled water system.  
Well equipped wheelhouse shall provide excellent visibility of the horizon, where the Master and the bridge crew will have unobtrusive view right around the vessel for ease of navigability. Navigation and communication electronic equipment are predominately supplied by European and Japanese Makers to increase reliability and to ensure uninterrupted spare part and service support during the life span of the vessel. The vessel so designed and equipped is a perfect blend of high tech and elegance and could be considered as one of the most eco-friendly vessels built by Colombo Dockyard during the recent past, which indeed is a positive feature considering the un-spoilt terrain of the Lakshadweep Administration which the vessel will be operating in.  

Due to the vessel’s slender outlines the vessel features very low fuel consumption and has outstanding maneuvering and sea keeping capabilities and also has low noise and vibration levels which increases the comfort of the passengers and crew of the vessel. The Vessel will be manned by a crew of 39 who will also be provided with comfortable and elegant living quarters matching the world standards available on a vessel of this class.  
Social and Economical Impact…
At a time where many industries were affected by the economic downturn, the Shipbuilding industry in Sri Lanka, especially Colombo Dockyard managed to sail the rough times unscathed due to the virtuous management decision taken prior to the setting in of the downturn and beefing up our company order books with concrete contracts with solid and reliable customer base such as the Indian Government and many other top notch business magnates in the industry. These projects brought in much needed foreign exchange in to the company and the country and assisted in continuing without any break the employment opportunities we have generated for thousands of Sri Lankan youths in various disciplines of Shipbuilding.    

The delivery of this vessel successfully to the Indian Government has strengthened the long and cordial relationship the two countries have enjoyed over the past.
It is true that every vessel that we build is special for us. Over the past three decades, we have built over 200 vessels for Maldives, India, Singapore, Cyprus, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia to various government and private clienteles. However the two Passenger Vessels order draws a special significance, by being the first order a Sri Lankan shipbuilder has secured from the government of India for a vessel of this class. The fact that the Indian Government has placed its utmost confidence in Colombo Dockyard to build these Passenger Vessels is a clear testimony of the maturity and the status that the company has achieved in the field of shipbuilding in the region. This achievement is the result of relentless pursuit of excellence, sweat and toil by the company staff over the past 35 years. This project can be considered as a project which rewrote the change.

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Colombo Dockyard PLC is the island's leading Ship repair, Shipbuilding and Heavy Engineering facility, conveniently located inside the very Port of Colombo operates 4 graving dry-docks with a maximum capacity of 125,000 Dwt.