Repeat Business

May 14, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka's Colombo Dockyard, a unit of Japan's Onomichi and the country's sole listed shipbuilder, has won two new orders from Greatship (India), for bigger and more expensive vessels, an official said. Greatship is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Great Eastern Shipping Company. The firm had previously ordered four anchor handling tugs from Colombo Dockyard, two of which have already been delivered.

The Indian firm, which provides services to the offshore oil and gas industry, has now placed an order for two multipurpose construction / ROV (Remotely Operated Vessel) support vessels.

The new buildings are scheduled for delivery by Colombo Dockyard in September 2010 and January 2011.

Colombo Dockyard chief executive Mangala Yapa said vessels would have larger capacities to ferry supplies like chemicals and fuel as well as crew required by the offshore industry.

He said they would also be capable of fire fighting and the design of the vessel would make provision for adding heli-decks for helicopter operations.

The vessels are designed both for operating as advanced platform support vessels, with enhanced accommodation of up to 50 passengers, and dynamic positioning propulsion tha