Cochin Shipyard Ltd will undertake repairs of ships owned by the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.

An MoU in this regard was signed between CSL, UTL and Lakshadweep Development Corporation Ltd (LDCL) in New Delhi on Friday. The objective is to ensure uninterrupted availability of these ships to serve the islanders.

UTL has 25 ships, which include 17 passenger vessels, four cargo vessels, two tugs, one tanker, and one LPG cylinder carrier. The vessels are a lifeline for the Lakshadweep islands.

All UTL vessels are at present being operated by LDCL. CSL has been undertaking partial maintenance / dry-dock repairs of most UTL vessels since 1983. To overcome issues related to timely repairs of the ships and ensure better availability to meet the islanders’ requirements, the Shipping Minister had directed UTL, LDCL and CSL to arrive at an arrangement for turnkey repairs of these ships at CSL.

When contacted, a spokesperson of CSL said that all the repairs work would be carried out at the new ship-repair facility taken over by the yard from Kochi Port, on Willingdon Island. The shipyard expects an annual turnover of Rs 50-60 crore from these repair works.

As per the MoU, LDCL should submit to CSL a tentative schedule for repairs of all its vessels by November every year, indicating the approximate schedule and repair duration of vessels in the coming year. The yard should allocate tentative repair slots for these vessels to suit the survey requirements and voyage schedules as indicated in the LDCL schedule.

In addition to routine and dry-dock repairs, CSL should also attend to emergency/ afloat repairs to these vessels to meet the requirements of statutory authorities and classification societies.

>sajeevkumar.v@thehindu.co.in

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