Colombo Dockyard steams ahead, winning many awards and accolades

The year 2011 has been a significant year, with the shipyard bagging many key awards for its achievements in maintaining engineering excellence in recession times, playing a responsible role as an environmentally conscious corporate citizen ranked in Sri Lanka in its continuing odyssey of excellence.

The year has been a tough year for the ship repair sector with the global economic recession effects being felt across the entire shipping industry. As a result of this extended recession, many of the ship owners are looking at postponing the scheduled repairs to the extreme limit or carrying out the dry-docking repairs with minimal spending.

Some of the global tanker owners/operators have opted to lay-up their vessels during this period to minimise the losses, with the option of activating the vessels when the market conditions improve.

Colombo Dockyard being a medium sized facility has streamlined its services to meet the market requirements head on: Giving highly competitive repair package coupled with fast turn-around time and assured quality.

The number of vessels repaired up to November end 2011 totals to 147 with a cumulative dead weight 1,431,697. The number of vessels handled in 2011 will surpass the 2010 total of 149 with the December operations yet to be concluded.

In the shipbuilding sector this year the shipyard delivered three vessels starting with the delivery of 78 m Multipurpose Platform Supply Vessel ‘Greatship Rashi’ meeting stringent requirements of the Petrobras and one 140 Ton Bollard Pull Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessel ‘Executive Honour’.

A 100 Passenger Launch (VADA THARAKAI II) to the Road Development Authority in Sri Lanka to be operated in the northern peninsula was successfully delivered. The fourth delivery for this year is scheduled to be the ‘Executive Pride’. She is scheduled to be delivered before this year end.

Currently, three 78 m Multi Purpose Platform Supply Vessels with deliveries scheduled throughout 2012 for a Singaporean client is under construction. Recently, the Shipyard penned contracts for the construction of four more 78 m multipurpose platform supply vessels for another Singaporean client with deliveries extending to 2013 and 2014.

In the Passenger Vessel sector, the company secured contracts for the construction of two 400 passenger cum 250 T cargo vessel for the Government of India, to be delivered in the year 2013, wading off stiff competition from international shipbuilders.

In this turbulent recession times the shipyard has turned its focus on improving efficiency mainly by system upgrades and controls that will give returns on the longer term, while preparing the shipyard to take on the market when it returns back out of the recession times.

The awards and accolades won by Colombo Dockyard during the year 2011:

Best Corporate Citizen Award – 2011: Top Ten Category Winner, 1st Runner-up – Less than 15 b Turnover Category. Presented by Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Engineering Excellence Awards – 2011: ‘Excellence in Engineering Award,’ presented by the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL).

NCE Export Awards – 2010: Gold Award: Most Value Added Exporter, Gold Award: Most Outstanding Exporter – Exporter of Business and Professional Services Sector, Gold Award: Exporter of Business and Professional Services Sector – Extra Large Category, presented by National Chamber of Exporter Sri Lanka.

CNCI Achiever Awards 2011; For Industrial & Service Excellence, Merit Award in the National Level – Manufacturing Sector – Extra Large Category, CNCI Top Ten Award in the Extra Large Category. Organised by the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries.

Geo Responsibility Awards 2011: Bronze Awards: Total Waste Management Category, presented by Geocycle – Holcim (Lanka) Limited.

National Business Excellence Awards 2011: Winner: Manufacturing and Engineering Sector, presented by the National Chamber of Commerce.

Charted Accountants Annual Report Awards – 2011: Service Sector – Gold Award, presented by the Institute of Charted Accountants of Sri Lanka.

Business Today Top Twenty 2010 – 2011: Top Twenty Award Winner for 15th Position on the Corporate Ladder, presented by Business Today – BT Options.