The Hindu Business Line : First barge from Master Shipyard at Kochi

MASTER Shipyard (Pvt) Ltd, an associate company formed by the Kochi-based inland water transport operator LOTS Shipping, has launched its first barge - Pamba Glory - constructed at its new facility at Edakochi near here.

The barge, built at a cost of Rs 70 lakh, is able to carry 200 tonnes of phosphoric acid twice a day so as to meet the requirements of the public sector FACT. LOTS had set up the full-fledged shipyard on 1.5 acres of land acquired at Edakochi. The company has also received orders to construct four more dry cargo barges from various private parties within and outside the State, Capt Philip Mathews, Managing Director, Master Shipyard, said.

The yard, set up in the private sector, is specialising in steel hulled boats, passenger cruisers and cargo vessels up to 2,000 DWT and 80 metres in length.

LOTS, operating in the field of inland water transport in Kerala, set up the yard at an investment of Rs3 crore as part of its diversification initiatives. The yard has the facilities for dry docking and repairing of all kind of vessels such as tugs, ferry boats, patrol boats, supply vessels etc, Capt Mathews said.

Though Kochi and its nearby areas have a fairly large population of marine crafts, professional repair facilities are almost non-existent in the private sector, he said. The few docking facilities that are available for vessels are with the Government.

Besides, along the west coast of India, the nearest facilities of marine crafts are in Goa, Capt Mathews added.