Ship repair facility for CSL

[1]

Cochin Shipyard has been given the go-ahead to set up a Rs 750-crore ship repair and building facility at Cochin Port.

Union shipping minister G.K. Vasan announced the bid award to Cochin Shipyard Ltd, which followed Cochin Port’s floating a tender for building the facility a few months ago.

Mr Vasan handed over an approval for this to chief minister Oommen Chandy in the presence of Port chairman Paul Antony. The project would come up on the old Rajiv Gandhi Terminal premises.

The new project would benefit the shipyard, which was on an expansion mode, Mr Vasan said at a session on ports, and shipbuilding and logistics at Emerging Kerala here on Friday.

He refused to comment on the CSL disinvestment proposal and said the new facility would help accelerate the State’s maritime sector growth.

Mr Vasan said Cochin Port was among five ports identified to be developed as cruise tourism hubs. Lighthouses at Kadalur and Vizhinjam would also be developed into tourist spots.

All support would be given for the development of Vizhinjam and Azheekal port projects. The proposal to set up a major port at Azheekal in Kannur was under consideration. The government would soon examine a technical committee report on their feasibility, he said.